A Sleeping Dragon
by BasketSlayer
Summary: Waking up with no memories, he struggles to figure out who he is.
1. Chapter 1

There was an uncomfortable feeling, the blaring sun on closed eyes.

His eyes shuddered open as he stared at the sun overhead. He quickly sat up, taking in his surroundings, not recognizing where he was.

He was in an alleyway, there were a few dumpsters nearby and every so often he heard a person walking by. Laughter and speech could be heard in the same direction as people walked down the street.

_'Where am I, how did I end up here?' _The questions resounding in his head as he couldn't seem to recall.

There was a burst of pain, not just in his head but also in his chest. He placed his hand over his heart, it almost felt like he was stabbed, yet there was no wound.

He calmed down some-what, hysteria would not help him in this circumstance. He calmed his mind, not wanting his thoughts to jump around and bring about that splitting pain again. He would start slow. His name and identity….

His face went blank.

"….who am I?" He whispered, slightly trembling.

A bit of panic set in, he didn't know who he was, where he was, or why he was there.

Even his 'knowledge' felt weird, it felt like someone had just implanted it in his head, like he read about the things he knew rather than experiencing them.

It took a few minutes for the mini-panic attack to subside.

_'Calm down'_ He kept shouting in his mind.

First thing first, he needed to make sure he was unharmed, common sense would dictate that memory loss the side effect of head trauma. But feeling around his head, he couldn't find any wounds, nor any other oddities with his body.

He looked down at the clothes he was wearing, he knew the names of the designs, the brands but it felt odd, like it wasn't something he was used to wearing.

His 'knowledge' of the world once again coming to the forefront of his mind, and again the same feeling.

Eventually, he stumbled out of the alleyway, looking a bit worse for wear.

He noticed a few glances his way, he probably looked like a mess, but he couldn't bring himself to care at the moment.

He looked around and saw a shop with a large glass display on the store front.

As he walked over he stared at his reflection.

_'Maybe that's why they were staring.'_

The nationality of the populous didn't go unnoticed, he was in an Asian country and was assuming he was a foreigner.

Blonde hair, green eyes. He stood out like a sore thumb.

The sudden realization flashed through his mind, he could read the language, that should mean he wasn't here by accident. There was a reason he came here, an objective that maybe if he found it could unlock his memories or atleast figure out who he was.

There was the thought to go to the authorities…. except he had no identification or really any thing except the clothes on his back. He wasn't sure how they would treat someone in his situation, and he wasn't too keen on them simple dumping him somewhere due to the hassle and forgetting about him.

He pushed such an option away for a last resort. There was a thought that he may be able to find an embassy somewhere, guessing by his looks he would say he was from the west and he _felt_ like his native language was English. There was just the issue of figuring out which English-speaking country he originated from and that wasn't even considering the fact that there may not be an embassy in this city, he didn't even know what this city was.

While he was mentally planning the next move, his thoughts came to a halt.

A child walked by, unnoticed by everyone.

Not strange in of itself except he could see something flickering. The outline of tails and fox ears, they were there then gone and there again. Like an illusion, when he focused on them, they were gone, but out of the corner of his eyes, he could see their outline.

Something was wrong. It was both natural and unnatural to him.

A voice in the back of his head was telling it that it was something that he shouldn't see but another part of him found it nostalgic.

_'Not Human'._

She didn't even give him a glance as she continued onward.

He hesitantly followed.

The more he stared, the more her features began to solidify in his vision. Eventually he could see them, fox ears and nine bushy tails swinging around, yet no one except him noticed.

She continued for a couple blocks until she turned down an empty alley way.

He waited a moment before turning down it as well. As soon as he turned the corner, a petite hand reached out, grabbing him by the collar, and threw him a bit further in.

His vision turned upside down as he was flung forward, landing on his back. He turned his head upward to see the little fox girl standing above him.

She did not look happy.

Their eyes met for a moment as he hastily stood back up and stepped away, a bit of fear shown on his face. He was _thrown_ around like a ragdoll. Unnatural strength doesn't correlate to body size.

_Not human. _

"You were following us, why?" The girl finally spoke.

"I…..um…." The word didn't come out as he had planned.

"Are you one of those that _likes_ children?" The girl said with clear disgust in her voice. "Mother told me about your kind, I did not think such depravity actually existed."

"…" He was speechless as he realized what she was talking about. It took him a moment to calm down. " I AM NOT A PEDOPHILE."

She crossed her arms and stared at him, the look in her eyes conveyed her thoughts perfectly, she did not believe him.

"I…was just curious, I saw the tails and ears and didn't know what was going on."

Her expression changed, from disgust to something akin to surprise. Her stance changed, she was on guard now. "You saw through our illusion."

It wasn't a question but a statement of fact.

"Are you one of mother's spies? Did you notice us and wanted to bring us back, or are you one of those rogues? We will not leave without a fight."

Her hand lit up in a strange fire as she held it ready to attack him.

"woah woah!" The amnesiac yelled before scuttling back. "I don't know who or what you are!"

The fire in her hand dissipated as she walked closed, her face an inch away from his as she inspected him.

"You are human." A bit of disbelief in her voice. "A human saw through our illusion. Are you a magician!?"

"I – I don't know." He answered hastily.

"Is this a trick? We'll have you know we are a kitsune, a human is a thousand years too early to try and trick us." She had a sneer on her face as she looked at him again, murmuring things about magicians in her territory without permission. "Which organization do you belong to, magician?"

"I don't know, I woke up not that long ago without any memory."

She eyed him up and down again before nodding slightly. "We shall believe you for now, mother told us that human magicians are all arrogant, they would never act so pathetically unless something was wrong."

He realized he was being insulted by a child, but he also was happy that the fox-girl deemed it unnecessary to throw magic fire at him.

She turned around and began to leave as she got a dozen yards away, she suddenly turned around and stared at him. "Well, follow along. We had a special day planned and it shall not be undone because of some incompetent magician."

"What?" He blurted out in response.

"No memory and slow." She sighed. "We cannot leave an unknown magician unattended in our territory. You shall have the privilege of accompanying us as we spend our special day."

At the mentions of the supernatural he had two reoccurring thoughts, '_Magic was real?!' _ and '_Of Course magic is real.'_ Two contradictory thoughts that he both felt were genuine. He was rationalizing that the supernatural was hidden from public view and that perhaps his memories were screwed up as he kept two separate identities and they were just conflicting with one another when his mind was a mess.

He could pick up the hidden subtext to what the girl said, she mentioned an illusion and her hand radiated a flame that couldn't be natural. To see was to believe and something within him wasn't averse to the idea of magic even if a part of him was saying it wasn't real.

For now, he would trust what he saw. His mind was a wreck, that was for certain so living in the here and now he would follow this little fox girl. He was in 'her' territory from what it sounded like, that meant more of her people or followers that could potential have a lead to his identity.

He had no other alternatives, so he followed.

She casually led him down the street before stopping and looking around every so often. It was clear from the look in her eyes that she was excited to be out and about.

He was curious what her 'special day' was until they finally arrived at her destination of choice. He could practically see the stars in her eyes as she looked at the store.

_Candy Castle_.

A large store in the shape of a small castle. Lots of kids running around with exasperated adults just rolling their eyes.

She ran across the street without even looking as she charged straight inside.

He joined not long after, it was honestly quite a big store to be dedicated only to sweets. There was a blur of movement as her tails were swishing around. It took him merely moments to catch up with her, yet she already had bags full.

With a sigh, he walked over as he noticed she was starting to have trouble carrying everything. "If I'm stuck with you today, I may as well lend a hand."

"Hmm, We suppose you aren't as lowly as originally suspected, helping this Princess of your own volition." She stated as she handed over the bags.

_'This is going to be exhausting' _He mentally said as he just projected a smile.

It took longer than it should have for the little fox girl to finally finish her 'shopping'.

The cashier eyed him oddly as they started everything up to be scanned. "Quite a lot of candy….."

The little fox huffed. "We saved our allowance, Mother said we are allowed to spend it on whatever we want."

The cashier looked down at the little girl then back at the blonde.

He just smiled awkwardly as the little fox payed for the purchase from her purse.

They walked for a little bit before finding a nice outdoor seating area where the little girl was content to plop down and start digging in.

The amnesiac looked at the girl, she was rather cute. There was a part of him that wanted to rub her little ears, but considering she could quite easily throw him around, he decided to push such thoughts down.

"What?" She asked, noticing his gaze.

"I'm surprised you aren't stuffing your cheeks."

She let out a 'hmmph'. "We are not stupid, eating that much will upset our tummy."

He couldn't help but smile as she answered. When she slipped out of her little 'princess' façade, she was just adorable.

"We are impressed with your translation spell." She said idlily.

"Huh?"

"Most magicians don't bother with a proper one and it messes up with honorifics."

"….I'm not using any magic." He replied absentmindedly.

She let out a snort. "We noticed your mouth not matching up with the words you spoke, you cannot hide it from us."

It took him an embarrassingly long time to realize that, to him, she was speaking English. Not to mention all the random people walking by and the cashier.

"I never did ask for your name." He said after a moment of silence. There was no point idling on his circumstance right now, he would get a better idea of what was going on when the girl finished her errands.

"It is polite to introduce yourself first."

"I don't remember my name….I suppose I could just use the generic name given to amnesiacs in the west. Call me John Doe for now, I guess."

"Very well, We are called Kunou, but you shall refer to us as Princess."

"What exactly are you the princess of?"

"We shall not take it as an insult this time since you do not remember, but we will not forgive you if you don't remember from now on. We are the princess of the Kyoto Youk—"

Her words were cut off abruptly as she stood up and looked around, slightly in panic.

All around them the people that were going about their business all got up and started to walk away.

"Well, well…what do we have here?" A voice called out as all the people had finally left.

The figure walked forward, wearing traditional Japanese clothing with a blade at his hip.

"The little Kitsune Princess out and about without any guards." The man said with a grin, his mouth widening unnaturally, and his teeth all razor sharp.

_Danger._

_Not human, enemy, danger._

The thoughts echoed in his head. His instincts were screaming at him to run away.

The creature didn't even give him a glance, his eyes settling solely on the little fox.

"Tell me little Kyuubi no Kitsune, did you sneak out again? I heard that your mother often has to send guards out to find you."

"What we do is none of your concern, leave our presence you smell of blood and death." She shouted.

"You know…I've always wondered what one of your species tastes like…since there are only two of you in existence, I think it will be quite the delicacy."

As the words left his mouth, the girl's eyes widened, and her hands ignited. "FOX FIRE" She roared as the ball of flames were thrown at the creature.

He merely swat them away, not even given them a second look. "What weak fox fire, I've seen one-tailed kitsune with more powerful fire."

Surprisingly, the little girl stepped infront of John as she glanced at him. "…..Please leave, you will only distract us."

John wasn't familiar with the hidden world, but even he could tell how severely the creature outmatched her.

He didn't get a chance to respond as the creature disappeared from the spot he was standing, moving at speeds untraceable to the human eyes. He was now infront of the little girl, clawed hand reached out for her neck.

Her eyes widened, her hands ignited with fire again but right as the claw was about to clasp shut, her collar was tugged backwards, pulling her with it.

Both the girl and the creature looked up at the man in surprise.

Even John didn't realize his arm moved until they all came to a stop.

"…..I thought you were just a normal human." The thing finally spoke. As he finished, a foot suddenly shot out, connecting with his stomach.

The amnesiac was sent hurling back into a nearby wall, blood expunging from his mouth.

"JOHN" The little princess cried out.

The creature drew his blade with a big toothy grin. The blade was chipped and worn, seeing more use than one would normally assume if the dried blood was any indication.

* * *

He went crashing against the wall, blood spitting out as he bounced off, leaving a large dent.

He could hear her call him. He barely knew her, she was rather arrogant and somewhat annoying if he was being honest…yet she was just an innocent child.

That _thing_ wanted to eat her.

He felt something stir deep down, a want to protect. He didn't know what burdens she bared to have to wear such a façade all the time. He saw it slip every so often, but she quickly shut it away. It was something….he was familiar with. He couldn't help but empathize.

Despite the pain that was flaring up, he was calm.

A mask of emotionlessness overcame him.

_One broken rib, two cracked. _

_Internal bleeding – minimal._

_Head trauma – possible concussion._

_Right shoulder - dislocated._

He stood up; an action that didn't go unnoticed.

"Oho, you're still alive? Well I supposed I could play with you a bit, a little workout before my meal~"

_Single edged blade, eastern origin, roughly three feet in length. _

_No upkeep, needs a cleaning and sharpening. Amateur swordsman._

He walked, slowly, each step the same measured pace.

The creature swung his blade.

_Right arm muscles tensing, no lower body support, casual swing – overreliance on physical strength._

John brought his left arm up, clutching his muscles as tight as he could as the blade sunk into his flesh and hitting his forearm. He could feel the blade sink deep and hit his bone and dig into it before stopping.

_Unnaturally sharp, targets physical defenses may be beyond me, acquire blade._

The creature looked at him at surprise again, before he could speak the blonde spit out the blood that was stuck in his throat towards his eyes.

The action catching the creature off guard. The instinctual movement to use his hand to wipe away the liquid in his eyes was caught with a shoulder check.

The blonde used his body to push into him and with his free hand, he grabbed the index finger on that hand that was holding the blade and pulled it back until he heard the cracking of bone.

The creature let out a hiss in pain as he dropped the blade.

John grabbed the blade before it hit the ground, not losing this opportunity he thrust it towards the creature's heart.

As the blade went through him without much resistance, the accumulated stress and pain finally set in as John collapsed to his knees and began to cough up blood again.

The creature cursed and shouted; the pain he was experiencing was known to all in the vicinity. With an inhuman roar, he pulled the blade out of his chest, the gushing of blood accompanying it.

"A human almost killed me…" He said in disbelief.

"A PATHETIC HUMAN ALMOST KILLED ME!?" He roared again.

His body began to distort, his limbs elongated, his eyes turned serpentine. His body looked more snake then humanoid after a moment.

"I WILL DEVOUR YOU"

It's jaw opened, it widened, wanting to swallow him whole.

Before it could lower its massive mouth onto the human, something happened.

Their eyes met only briefly.

And for a moment, the snake-man tensed.

Fear crawling up his spine, a primordial fear.

Because in that particular moment, it felt like a gigantic red dragon was bearing down on him.

John's eyes turned heavy as they started to shut against his will. Solace came in the form of spears raining down on the creature, he finally fell over – unconscious.


	2. Chapter 2

An endless green field.

He looked around and that was all he saw, in any direction up to the horizon was only a green field.

_Warmth._

_Safety._

_Tranquility._

He felt protected, like nothing in this moment could harm him. There was something familiar about this place.

He knew this place. The name wouldn't formulate, but it was burned into his very soul.

Words began to form in his mind, sending a shiver down his spine. His mouth opened, an unconscious action as he spoke the words that were burning inside him.

"**An Ever-Distant Utopia.**"

As the words were spoken, the world around him _shifted_.

Screens began to appear around him, some static some blurred and a few he could barely make out. Scenes were playing throughout, battles were taking places, wars that counted bodies by the thousands.

There was no sound, faces were blurred except for one, his own. He recognized himself as the center of all the conflict. Blood splattered and tired beyond words as he pierced through dozens of enemies. Some showed him younger others when he got a bit older. He could see the natural progression, as the years moved on his expression grew darker, sadder.

His physical age never changed much after a certain point, but he didn't need that to tell. He could see the toll of cumulated experience in his own eyes. The weight that he seemed to shoulder as it wore him to the point of exhaustion. The faces of those who surrounded him were all blurred, but he didn't need to see them to know that they all looked up to him. He couldn't show weakness, he was their pillar.

He tried to shoulder all their burdens and it was breaking him.

The screens all faded after a few more moments, he didn't see what happened next.

Something else appeared though, a figure.

Clad in the armor of a knight.

A reflection.

He looked at _himself_. Those aged eyes that carried such sadness.

The reflection held out his hand and he reached for it.

Barely apart, all he needed to do was grasp it and his instinct told him that he could regain everything he was missing.

He hesitated. An unfamiliar feeling crept up – he was afraid.

Afraid of who he was, what he was. The sheer weight of responsibility the previous him radiated.

He pulled away.

His reflection's neutral expression turned to a small smile as it turned away.

His voice was caught, he couldn't speak as it continued to walk away. He wanted to shout and ask it why it wasn't angry. He denied it, a part of him and yet it didn't seem to mind.

Before he could reach out again, the reflection waived its hand and the he felt a pull as the world began to distort.

A moment later his eyes opened, and he felt himself tumble out of bed.

His breathing was ragged, and sweat was dripping down his head.

Pain.

His quickly stood up, sending another jolt of pain through his body.

There were bandages wrapped all around him. His head was feeling a bit wet as he touched around the back of his head. Blood was seeping through the bandage. His left arm also ached as it looked like his wound, reopened there as well.

"Atleast my shoulder was pushed back in" He said with a sigh. Apparently, pain wasn't new to him and his body could at least cope with it better than he thought.

Centering himself and calming down, he looked around the room and back to where he had just been sleeping.

'_A dream_.' He thought. _'No, not just a dream. Too real to be just a dream.'_

His idle thoughts were interrupted as the door slid open and a woman – Complete with a Fox Tail and Ears – Walked in. Garbed in a nurse's outfit, she didn't seem to notice him as she stared at a notepad in her hand.

She looked up briefly then back down to her notepad…..only for her to look at him again, staring wide-eyed.

John looked at her in confusion, then down at himself.

_'Oh, I'm naked.' _He thought._ 'Well this is awkward….'_

"It's a bit chilly in here." He said with a straight face.

Her mouth opened slightly, her face turning completely red as she quickly bolted out of the room.

After looking around he noticed a set of clothes on the nearby table as he hastily dressed himself.

Again someone entered, this time it appeared to be some kind of guard. He wore armor and wielded a long spear. He also appeared to be some kind of bird-creature.

His eyes narrowed. "Lady Yasaka requires your presence, human."

Having no idea who 'Lady Yasaka' was, he naturally agreed to follow.

* * *

"We demand justice, Lady Yasaka!" The man proclaimed, a slight hiss in his voice.

Lady Yasaka, the nine-tailed fox that ruled over the West Kyoto youkai. And currently, she was mentally rolling her eyes, trying best to keep her stoic expression.

"That….._human_ dared to attack one of our own and besmirch his good name claiming he was going to eat your daughter. That is absolutely ridiculous, we would never betray our leader. We request you transfer over ownership so we may dispense punishment."

The older woman just continued to stare as the man began to sweat a bit under her gaze. "Are you calling my daughter a liar?"

"N-no, Lady Yasaka. I'm merely saying that she could have been confused and misled by that _human_."

"So, you're saying that my daughter is uneducated, and I've failed as a mother?"

"I would never say such a thi –"

"Well what is it, am I inept or did one of your clansmen try to _eat_ my daughter?" The fox woman said with eyes narrowed.

The man was twitching slightly as he opened his mouth to speak a couple times but no words came out. His face was red, clearly with anger, but he was trying his best to keep it from boiling over.

Yasaka continued to look at the man, his 'clan', if it could be called that, were extraordinarily arrogant for how weak they were. She was basically forcing him to grovel or admit the crime of one of his clansmen.

She couldn't help but smirk slightly, an action that did not go unnoticed by the snake-youkai she was speaking too.

It let out a roar as it transformed into a large two-headed snake. "YOU BITCH, I'LL DEVOUR YOUR ENTIRE PROGENGY AND TAKE MY RIGHTFUL PLACE AS LEADER OF THE YOUK-"

His speech got cut off as dozens of spears impaled him, causing the snake to lose all life in its eyes.

"Was it really necessary to goad him like that, my lady? We already had enough evidence to arrest him and most of his clan." A large man asked. He had the face of a bird and wings sprouted form his back but the remainder of his body was humanoid in nature.

The Youkai leader pouted. "Ruin all of my fun, Soma. I wanted to hear him monologue about his 'superiority' and how he was going to conquer my faction and then the world."

"It is my duty as your head of guard to keep you safe, My lady." Soma replied, rather dryly.

"Maa" She replied, waiving her hand dismissively. "Have someone go deal with the remainder of his clan, kill any of them that would offend my sensibilities."

"As you wish, My Lady." He said as he bowed and left the room.

"So…what else do I have to deal with today?" She said with a sigh now that her entertainment was gone. It was obvious to her servants that came in to clean the recent mess that her head was somewhere else as she was just going through the motions.

Not that anyone could really blame her after her daughter's recent escapades.

Frankly, she wanted to rip that snake-mans' head off herself, but she had to present herself as a calm and collected leader. No one would truly fault her if she lost her anger, but there would be some dissent, and some may use her outburst to push their own hidden agendas. No, it was better to just mock him and make him lash out himself so he would be killed in such a humiliating way.

It did seem a little odd how worked up he was getting about the whole incident. Getting upset because one of his own was defeated by an 'inferior' species was one thing, but he was very worked up.

Perhaps they were family? It would explain his anger…or rather his _increased_ anger. That snake clan – whatever they named themselves, it was tiring trying to remember all the low-level clans under her purview – were not really know for their kindness.

_'Something is fishy…or snaky…hehe.' _She allowed herself a small giggle at her stupid joke. "Soma."

"Yes my Lady?" The Man answer, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

_'Showoff.'_ She thought idlily. "I rescind my previous order, investigate this snake clan, something about his behavior doesn't sit well with me."

"I shall make new preparations, My Lady." Again, he disappeared from sight.

She could track him if she wanted, but she knew he enjoyed this little game they played. Besides, he did it mainly for her benefit, some mild amusement in their otherwise dull dealings of court. He had served her long enough to truly know her and her personality. Truthfully, he was more friend than subordinate. They had grown up together for the most part. He had been groomed to be her bodyguard since birth and they had been friends for many years.

The Youkai leader stood up, leaning back and stretching her back as she heard a pop. _'What I wouldn't give for a nice comfy chair to sit in all day. But noooooo, I have to sit the traditional Seiza-style. Stupid traditions, my back constantly hurts after a full day of this.'_

She could sense someone approaching as she sat back down and resumed her position, her face not giving away any of her thoughts.

A woman entered, she quickly closed the door behind her and bowed.

"Rise." Yasaka replied, almost by instinct at this point.

"My Lady Yasaka, your guest is…..awake." The nurse said.

"Your face looks red, are you alright, child?" The leader asked.

"I…..yes I'm fine my Lady."

"Someones not being honest, what happened to get you all flustered?"

"I accidently walked in while he had yet to change." She replied.

"Oooh my~. Please, do give me details." The fox leader said with a grin.

It only took a moment for the young kitsune to explain and then excuse herself as she was a bit embarrassed still.

When she cleared the door, the Kyuubi finally broke down into a laughing fit.

"Soma" She called out, regaining her composure.

"Yes, my lady?" He replied.

"Saving my daughter at the risk of one's own life deserves a reward, don't you think?"

"As you say, to put his life on the line to save the princess was quite honorable."

"I shall give him the opportunity to ask for a reward himself." She said with a smirk.

"….I feel as though you are doing this for yourself more than for him."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I suppose so, and you just so happened to shift your clothing to be more revealing when you thought I wasn't looking."

"…I don't expect you to understand modern fashion."

"Yes, it most likely has nothing to do with the fact that he probably has no idea about your _habit_ of flirting with people just to get them embarrassed."

"….."

"….."

"Just go get him already." The fox finally said.

"Your will be done, My Lady." The sarcasm practically dripped off the words as he disappeared.

"Stupid bird." She huffed. "Always ruining my fun."

She wasn't doing this _just_ because she was bored and liked to fluster young men.

_'I am still a young women.'_ She sighed, a small pout on her face. _'I'm allowed to fantasize about a young, yummy-looking, man asking for me when offered a reward.'_

"A woman has needs!" She whined.

"As you say, my Lady." A familiar voice replying.

"Dammit Soma, get out of here" She said, realizing she had been heard.

She could hear his stifled laughter as he left the room _again_.

"Cheeky bastard." She said to no one in particular, her face a bit red from embarrassment.

* * *

John walked into the room, led by the guard.

He watched the guard bow and move to the side, not even given a sideway glance as he walked forward without showing the 'proper' etiquette to greet this leader-figure.

No doubt his issue was known to these people, he was most likely given the leeway given his circumstances.

The room was about what he would expect, not really knowing the exact name, it would be the Japanese equivalent of a 'throne room'.

A young-looking woman sat at the figurehead spot. An elevated location as she oversaw what would probably be their court equivalent.

The woman in question was breathtakingly beautiful. He could see several tails lightly swaying around behind her. Another fox like the girl he had met previously.

"Well, the hero of the hour is finally awake." The woman spoke. "My Name is Yasaka, I'm the leader of the East Kyoto Youkai and Kunou's Mother."

"…..Youkai?" The word was foreign to him, yet at the same time familiar.

"Oh dear, you really didn't know? I admit, we were still a tiny bit skeptical about this whole thing. While unlikely, there was the possibility that you were a plant and that fight was a setup but looking at your face, I truly believe you have no idea whats going on." She replied.

"Allow me to explain, Youkai is a very broad term that refers to most magical creatures in Japan and some other Asian countries. This includes things like Kitsune, Ghosts, Oni, Kappa, and Tengu. Frankly, most Youkai don't have an actual name to differentiate them from other Youkai. The creature you fought previously was merely a snake-youkai without any defining name to go along with it. Almost anything can become a Youkai so its hard to give a name to everyone that pops up."

There was a phrase, a name on the tip of his tongue. Something that describe them that was more familiar with him.

"Phantasmal…..Beasts…." He said quietly.

"Oh? I've never heard that phrase to describe us before." She said, mildly amused.

"It just popped into my head." John replied with a shrug.

"Well, lets put that aside for now. I would like to reward you for saving my Daughter. As the Youkai Leader of East Kyoto, I allow you to ask of me any request and if it is within my ability, I will fulfill it."

"I'm…..really not sure what to ask, I wasn't exactly expecting this to happen." He smiled awkwardly.

"Take your time, and remember….I said _anything_." She finished as she sent him a wink.

He pretend not to notice her intentionally bouncing her chest as she finished speaking. "I would like help in figuring out who I am. I don't know what I was doing here, and I don't have anything where to go."

"I see, it wouldn't be too difficult to send out some inquiries. I will warn you though, we don't have much contact with the far west. It's going to take awhile for my ears to reach that far." She said with a now bored expression. "That only leaves the matter of your housing. I don't have a problem putting you up somewhere, but I mentioned before I have no idea how long this will take.

"No doubt some factions will make some noise about an outsider walking around for an extended period of time…ah! How about I hire you on as Kunou's bodyguard?"

"I barely survived against that Youkai from before…..and the way you spoke about him implied he was rather weak by your standards."

"Its more in-name only. To be honest, she's a bit shaken up about what happened and I think having you around will calm her down and help her get back to normal. She's snuck out several times before and we've had a few similar incidents…but this was the closest she's ever come to dying."

"Does she have PTSD?" He asked.

She couldn't help but give him a gentle smile, noticing the worry in his voice. "No, but she's still a child by our standards and almost dying like that had taken a toll on her. Perhaps I've sheltered her too much, our world isn't exactly pleasant, and she will need to learn to cope with such matters."

"I will happily accept these accommodations." John stated.

"Very well, Soma go retrieve that sword and bring me a Phoenix Tear." She said.

It only took a moment for the Tengu to disappear and reappear with a small box and a sheathed katana. He walked over to Yasaka and presented them with abow before moving out of the way.

"Come." She said, motioning towards the blonde.

John walked forward as she opened the box and retrieve a small vial. Holding it over his head, the Youkai leader allowed a drop to spill out as it landed on him.

Immediately, his body began to glow as his wounds slowly disappeared.

"Interesting." She said as she eyed his body.

"….was that not supposed to happen?" He asked in confusion.

"No, a phoenix tear is one of the most powerful healing items in the world, what's interesting is how slowly it healed you." She replied, deciding not to mention that the tears lose effectiveness if the target it's used on are too far above the phoenix who created the tear.

"Thank you." He said. He was genuinely thankful, his body was in quite a bit of pain already.

"No need for that, I would have done this regardless but we had to be sure you weren't a spy or something similar before healing you."

As she finished, she then picked up the familiar blade. "We retrieved the blade that was used during the fight. It was damaged, but we have some rather good smiths in our faction."

Pulling the blade free from it's sheath, there were no chips nor any wear on the blade.

"If you are going to be my Kunou's bodyguard, you will require a weapon, and this is your spoil of battle." She said as she held it out for him to take.

He carefully grabbed the blade as he looked it over.

"Its not a normal blade, focus on it and search for a connection."

He just eyed her inquisitively before closing his eyes and trying to 'focus' on the weapon. It was as she said, he felt the blade reaching out and he could someone _connect_ to it. It flashed for a moment before it changed.

It was no longer a katana, but a European Long Sword.

"What just happened?" John asked in confusion.

"The blade is enchanted, increased durability and cutting strength. But it also has the ability to change shape based on the user's preference. If I recall correctly, it was an attempt by a certain organization to mimic those western Holy Swords." She explained.

She tossed the sheath to him, which also seemed to change to match the sword. "Based on what I felt, you don't appear to be a magician."

"Huh?"

"The connection, it required you use your magic to reach out and touch the blade. With an open link like that I was able to take a peek at your reserves, you only have a bit more than an average human. Not that uncommon for someone who focuses on close combat."

"I see. I thank you for the help and I will do my best to protect your daughter, even if I'm not a _real_ bodyguard."

"I have to keep up certain appearances based on my position…but I am genuinely thankful for what you did at the risk of your own life. I do feel better knowing you will be by my daughter's side incase anything happens. And knowing my daughter, she will find some way to get into trouble." She replied.

John had a small smirk form on his face. "Who knows, maybe next time I play hero I'll ask for something more _intimate_ as a reward."

Her ears perked up slightly as she couldn't stop a wide grin forming. "Oh, you're going to be fun, I can tell."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Alright let me cover some things that people had been asking questions. Yes, he is Proto Arthur and he is weaker than he should be. I though it would be pretty obvious but some comments were freaking out that a servant wouldn't be that weak. Also, i never said he was a servant either :D. Anyways, this is basically his introduction to the moonlit world in DXD. I wanted to explore some of the lesser known factions and not just dump him in Kuoh. I always liked the Youkai and felt they didn't have much depth. **

**So confession time, i completely forgot what Yasaka's canon personality was like. I'm chalking it up to being unmemorable so i just decided to do my own thing. Basically i'm writing her has playful/flirty but serious when she needs to be. Maybe this was how it was in canon, but i don't remember. **

**How i'm going to write Proto Arthur. As most of you know, there isn't much content about him so i have alot of room to do what i want. Basically i wanted him to be a more easy-going version of Arturia. He still has his serious side and like his female counter-part, he does have his own regrets and failures as his time as king. But i felt like since he never had to hide his gender, he could forge stronger bonds with those around him and open himself up more, mitigating that aspect of 'a king isn't human' that merlin tried to instill. **


	3. Chapter 3

"As per My Lady's requests, I shall be giving you a tour of West Kyoto." Soma stated

"She mentioned 'west' Kyoto before, are there other sections of Kyoto that are ruled by other organizations or is it just a naming convention based on location?" John asked.

"Ah, apologies I forgot you don't know about us. I should start of on where we are based. Tell me, where you think we are right now?"

"Judging by the name…Kyoto Japan?"

"You would be right, but also quite wrong." The guard said with a small smile. "What do you know of pocket dimensions?"

The amnesiac's eyes widened a bit as he realized what the guard was talking about.

Soma let out a small chuckle at his reaction. "The Kyoto we refer to is a pocket dimension that is anchored to the real Kyoto. It's not as large since we don't have nearly the same number of residents as the true city, but it's quite big all things considered."

"So, what's this about 'West Kyoto' are there _other_ Kyoto's?" John asked.

"Kyoto is split into two factions; we have West Kyoto which is ruled by Yasaka and East Kyoto which is ruled by Nurarihyon."

"I think I've heard that name before….." John replied.

"I'm not too surprised, there is a lot of literature referencing him, even outside of Japan." The guard nodded.

"What's the relationship between the two factions?"

"Officially, we're allies but generally stay out of each other's business."

"And unofficially?"

"Unofficially, Lord Nurarihyon is a bit of a troublemaker. He likes to come around every few months and 'kidnap' the princess." Soma said with a hearty laugh. "He usually takes her out for ice-cream, but also likes to tease the guards. He's said that if they spotted him before he succeeded then he would admit defeat. So, they've taken it as a challenge. Yasaka was actually tutored by him when she was younger and Kunou affectionately calls him – Uncle."

"He sounds like an interesting person." John mused.

"That he is. He usually takes in all the troublesome Youkai to keep them in check so Yasaka doesn't have to worry about those idiots causing problems."

"Wouldn't that make his faction stronger if he takes in all the 'troublesome' ones?" John asked.

"Yes and no. On the surface, his faction's strength does exceed ours and he could easily overtake the west if he put his mind to it. But Yasaka has a secondary purpose and a reason that Nurarihyon could never hold West Kyoto – not that he would attempt to do so." Some replied.

"You see, Kyoto has the largest concentration of intersecting Leylines in Japan, and the third in the world. It requires someone to watch over them, what that truly means, I do not know as that information is passed from one guardian to another. The Kyuubi-no-Kitsune have watched over the Kyoto Leylines for thousands of years. They are given the task by non-other than the Goddess Amaterasu. She is the current Leader of Takamagahara, the realm of the Shinto Patheon that oversees Japan."

"I see…." He didn't know why, but the thought of gods taking an active role in the world made him feel uneasy.

"Going back to the leylines, The West Kyoto Leader, the Kyuubi-no-kitsune, is able to tap into their power. I'm sure you can imagine how powerful that can be if even the gods deem it necessary for someone to watch over them." The Guard finished.

"So, the power of the leylines offsets the higher military potential of the East?" John Reiterated.

"That about sums it up. Again, I would like to stress that this is all hypothetical, I don't want to mistake this as me warning you to be on guard with our eastern Brethren." Soma replied.

As they walked through the streets, they could see a wide variety of creatures and humanoids walking about and just going on with their daily lives.

There were tiny fairy-like people flying about, bound to certain objects they carried with them. There were decapitated heads that, quite literally, were rolling down the street and other creatures that had non-human features.

Then there was something that made John take pause. He noticed several humans just casually walking about among the Youkai.

"I didn't realize that humans lived here as well." He stated.

"Is it really that much of a surprise?" Soma said. "Humans and the supernatural are intertwined. Human belief is one of the catalysts for Youkai to be created. We interact and sometimes we can even fall in love. Offspring between a youkai and human aren't that rare and many wish to just live here away from normal society. This dimension was created to house and separate the majority of Youkai from the human populace, but that doesn't mean we exiled ourselves."

"I apologize, I didn't mean for what I said to be offensive, just merely surprised."

"No offense taken, I suppose it would be odd for someone in your circumstance." Some hastily replied. "We're coming up to up to our first destination."

As they approached the building, the temperature was noticeably becoming warmer.

There was a sign hanging outside, an anvil carved on the wood.

"This is where we repaired your blade, I figured it would be important for you to meet the blacksmiths for future reference. A forewarning, do not ask the head smith his family name." The guard stated, not giving John an opportunity to reply and he was dragged inside.

"If it aint the fox's number one crow." A voice called out.

"It's good to see you again, midget." Soma replied heartily.

A man came out of the back room, his was short in stature but had bulging muscle with a large beard.

John recognized him, rather recognized his race.

He was a Dwarf.

The two clasped hands in greeting, a smile on both their faces.

"Do ye have another job fer me? Me bones be a little stiff and me hands a bit itchy for somethin' to do." The dwarf asked.

"I'm afraid not my friend, I'm playing tour guide today." Soma replied, turning towards John. "Allow me to introduce Kunou's new bodyguard. I'm helping him learn the area."

"Oh, I heard about ye down at da pub. Protected the little miss, came back all beat up." He chuckled as he extended his hand.

John grabbed it and shook.

"Ah, where are me manners. Names Yathad." The dwarf stated.

"I don't remember my name right now, so call me John." He replied.

"Amnesia, huh?" Yathad asked.

"It was actually the Princess who found him." Soma answered.

"The little Miss does have a habit of findin' interestin' things, often to the annoyance of everyone else." The old dwarf said with a chuckle.

"That she does." Soma sighed.

The old Dwarf turned to John again. "Let me see yer sword."

John unsheathed the blade and carefully handed it over.

"This came in the other day I believe. Interstin enchantments, shiftin accordin to the user's preferences. Not a bad blade, all things considered. The creator wasn't an amateur an the apprentice I chose to fix'er up did an adequate job. The blade's dimensions are very specific, nothin like the generic Katana that it was previously. I'de wager me finest blade that ye were a swordsman before ye lost yer memories."

John nodded as he was handed the weapon back. "Bits and pieces come back sometimes, my body remembered how to fight, if only a little."

"Not a swordsman me self, but ye can probably speed up the process if ye train with the guards at the barracks."

"That's where we were headed next." Soma nodded.

"Ol' Saru gonna be happy to have another punchin' bag." The dwarf said with a grin.

The two finally left the blacksmith after the dwarf had to be pulled away due to work. Soma looked to be in a genuinely good mood after meeting his apparent friend.

John noticed that he usually kept himself composed and unreadable while in Yasaka's presence, but here he was expressive and talked openly.

"So…..a dwarf?" John finally asked.

"He sought refuge here about a hundred years ago. There was an incident, in the Norse territory. I'm not going to go into details due to the personal nature of it, but suffice to say he had to leave home. We happily accepted him, he's a great blacksmith and he's been teaching anyone who wanted to take up the craft for many years now."

"So I didn't say anything before….but was that lava running through the smithery?"

The bird-man let out a chuckle. "That old Dwarf demanded the place be done _right_. That involved poking a hole into the nearest volcano so he could get a steady stream of molten magma to help the forging process."

"…..How far away is the nearest volcano?"

"Its best not to think about." The guard replied with a sigh. "It was a lot of work to build the extraction system. We even had to negotiate with some clans outside of our faction for the right to build through their land."

"Was it worth it?" John asked.

"Let me put it this way, the planning took two years by itself. The negotiations with various clans and landowners took another year. The actual building of the system, which is a marvel of engineering, took another three. Six years in total it took to see this from start to finish. And yet, if he asked for it again, knowing all the painstaking effort it took the first time, we would agree without hesitation."

"A lucrative investment?" He asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Yes, but not all investments return with money."

"That brings up a question, what currency do you all use here?"

"We just use the mundane currency; most supernatural communities use the currency they're based around. Though some use their own made from precious metals, which isn't very hard to turn into the currency of your choice."

"Wouldn't it look suspicious if you go to a gold trader somewhere in japan with coins that should be hundreds of years old and ask for their monetary value?" John asked.

"There are a lot of mundane services that go through supernatural-aware companies. In fact, the devils are the leaders in that regard."

"….Devils?" He asked, a bit wide-eyed at the implication.

"You're probably thinking fire and brimstone, little red creatures with pitchforks, right?" The guard said with a chuckle.

"That is the first image that pops into my mind."

"That wouldn't be too far off from their Demon Ancestors. But the devils of today are not so different than humans. In fact, we were allied with them during the last Great War."

"The Great War?"

"The three Abrahamic factions went to war. The Host of Heaven, The Grigori or as you better know them as – Fallen Angels, and the Devils. With how large the religion is, most of the world got pulled into the conflict. The various factions had to choose a side and we sided with the devils. I said humans aren't that different than devils, its more so the same for Youkai. We are vilified as human-eaters, demons that hunt in the dark. Maybe that was true many years ago, but like humans, we change and adapt. We are peaceful for the most part and this correlates almost exactly to devil-kind."

"They are beings of sin, that can't be argued. But, they are not their Demon Ancestors. They don't go out looking for souls to condemn. They generally just want to live their lives. In recent years, the devils had been the ones to make the most progress in societal advancement. They created the Supernatural version of the internet, and they have their own special underworld-TV."

"Really? A supernatural internet, that seems…a bit unbelievable even with the mention of devils."

"Its not very hard to set up, all things considered. Lady Yasaka has a connection in her room, as does her daughter. Most Youkai around here also spend a lot of time on it. As I said, most just want to live their lives. For long lived beings like us, we need entertainment more so than anything else. With the constant movement of the world, a medium that follows in its steps will constantly have things to keep us occupied." Soma explained.

"Now that i think about it, there are many stories – be they myth or real – that speak of beings interfering with mortals for reasons that could be summarized with boredom." John mused.

"It also allows various races to have some sort of contact that they normally wouldn't. A decade ago, a Youkai was unknown to say, a Centaur. Now though, the younger generations are being brought up with the ability to connect with other cultures and a lot of the old hatred has started to dwindle" Soma replied.

They walked for a bit longer until they came upon a large building in the distance. Unlike the usual layout, this building was rather fortified and stood by itself in a clearing.

The guards outside slightly bowed to Soma and he walked in with John in tow.

They continued through the compound a bit before coming to an open courtyard.

"Did I say you could stop?"

"NO SENSEI!" A voice screamed out in pain.

"No Sensei indeed. So why are you not running?"

"I'M SORRY SENSEI!"

"Oh, you're going to be."

John could hear the scream echo out as he was dragged along with Soma.

"Well well, haven't seen you in a while, brat." A woman turned around to greet the newcomers. Beside her was a boy in training gear, in the fetal position.

"Sensei" Soma greeted respectably.

"Oh…whos this you brought with you?" The woman smiled.

John looked at the woman, slightly terrified. She looked somewhat like a monkey but with reddish skin and two horns on her head.

She wielded a baton-like stick. Made of a material he couldn't recognize but had no doubt it was formable.

"A new recruit, he's to be Kunou's bodyguard." Soma replied. "I was hoping you would spend some extra time with him."

"Hmm." She hummed as she walked up to him.

He flinched slightly as she got close to inspect him.

"You know I don't personally teach people I don't find interestin, Soma." She said, turning away.

"I'm aware of your preferences." He stated.

"And you still brought him." She said, almost happily.

She turned back to him. Without any warning she swung her stick.

John was sent flying back into the nearby wall.

She continued to look at him, her smile widening into something almost feral.

His blade was slightly drawn from its sheath, having used it to intercept the strike in that split second.

"owww." John whined as he got up. "Was there any particular reason you attacked me?"

The woman laughed. "I like him, he passes."

"Was that some sort of test?" He asked.

"I don't teach people not worth my time, I wanted to see what was special about you." She stated.

"That's it? Just block a strike from you?"

She raised an eyebrow and turned towards Soma. "He doesn't know?"

"I had not told him." Soma replied.

She began to cackle. "You didn't just _block_ my strike, boy. You blocked a strike from an Red-Oni/Monkey-Youkai Hybrid."

John just tilted his head in confusion.

"…..I think I'm missing something here." She said, looking towards Soma.

"He seems to have amnesia, he doesn't understand what that means." The guard stated.

"Truly?" She asked in amazement, getting a nod in confirmation from Soma. "That makes this even better."

"How so?" John asked.

"Do you even know what you did to block my strike?" She asked.

"I raised my sword?"

"Not just that. In that split moment, you unsheathed your blade to intercept and jumped back right as our weapons made contact, negating the majority of the power behind my blow."

"I…my body just moved on its own when it sensed danger."

"This is going to be fun. To explain from before, my mother was a Red-Oni, the strongest Youkai in terms of physical strength. My Father was a Monkey-Youkai who could trace his heritage back to the Great Sage Equaling Heaven. Not only that, they are predisposed to Martial Arts, more so than any other Youkai."

"So why am I not dead?" John asked, rather dumbfounded.

"I held back, obviously, that was only a small fraction of my strength. I'm not an idiot, I could tell you were human."

"He managed to defeat a lower-class youkai after waking up with no memories." Soma interjected.

"Impressive, especially so for a human. I look forward to training you." She nodded. "I am Saruwatari Kuniumi, you will call me Saru-Sensei for now on."

John just sighed; he would roll with it as he had been doing for now. Most of the youkai he had met were rather eccentric, so it wouldn't be hard to just accept and keep going.

"What did you mean by Lower-class?" He asked after a moment.

"I forgot to explain the class system." Soma Mused. "Basically, it's a sort-of universal ranking system that came about through the devils. Them being the social engineers they are, their culture had spread pretty far, and a lot of their customs had been adopted, such as their strength measuring system. First off, we have Lower-class Devils. These are beings that are above base-line humans in every way but are rather inept by the majority of the hidden world."

"Second, we have Middle-class devils, these are usually the ones who have some combat experience and a good grasp on their powers. The third are High-class devils. These are where the heavy hitters start popping up. The vast majority of species usually hang around in the Middle-Class range, so it takes talent and hard work to achieve the strength of a High-Class."

"Above High-Class Devils are Ultimate Devils. These are your trump cards, the ones who could be called War assets as they shift the balance of battle when they appear. They have the respect of most cultures due to their strength."

"Finally we have Super-Devils. It's a fairly new term that came about with the current Leader of the Devils. The man who took up the title of Lucifer after the original died. Its said he surpassed the original in strength and has the power to match gods."

"To put it into perspective, me and Saru-Sensei are High-Class. Lady Yasaka and Lord Nurarihyon are Ultimate-Class." He finished.

"How definitive are these titles?" John asked.

"Its not perfect, just because I'm classified as a High-Class doesn't mean I'm on equal footing with Saru-Sensei. 9 out of 10 times, she would mop the floor with me and on that one lucky occasion, I may land a few blows."

"Awww, you say the sweetest things, Soma." The Oni-Hybrid cooed.

"Since Sensei accepted you, you will be training with her every day when Kunou in busy with her lessons." Soma stated.

"Joy…I can hardly wait." John dryly replied.

The two Youkai just chuckled as Soma ushered him out.

The guard showed him a few more places, popular restaurants that Yasaka and her daughter sometimes visit. Various shrines dedicated to the Shinto gods. The brothel that Soma tricked him into. And some other sights to see before they finally finished for the day.

"The Princess should be finished with her lessons by now, I believe its time to introduce yourself to her with your new position."

* * *

**Author's Note;**

**I typed this up on my phone, so there may be more grammar or spelling errors than normal and i'll do another look over when i'm back on my PC. **

**I wanted to get this chapter out quickly as there was alot of exposition, setting up some world building and just dumping information while introducing some new characters. I just want to take it a bit slow, no need to rush straight into the plot. I'm going to touch more on thins that havn't been fully explained, like i'm not just leaving his 'dream' there and not building on his feelings about it. Right now, he has no general purpose or direction so he's allowing himself to be led around and just rolling with whatever punches come his way. **

**So i've read more comments about this and i'll touch on it again, he is not nerfed. He is currently without his power, there is a difference. Yes, he will be regaining his power. Its not much of a spoiler, the buildup had already started and it is an obvious plot point for the future. **

**Anyways, leave a comment if you have something to say, i do read them all. **


	4. Chapter 4

Soma led him to a large building a bit away from the barracks. It was close enough for a response to arrive in a timely manner, but far enough away to have its own garden and courtyard that separated it from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It was actually quite beautiful.

Many species of flowers decorated the outside, most of which he couldn't recognize.

The whole place just screamed elegance and nobility.

They walked into the front door, a person sitting at a large desk. A receptionist if he were to guess.

The woman looked up and noticed Soma before John.

"Here for Kunou?" The woman at the desk asked.

Soma nodded. "I'm also here to register my companion as Kunou's new bodyguard, he will be making the pickups for now one."

"I'll need a name and some blood to key into the barriers." She replied, holding out a small cup and a needle.

"John Doe." He stated, pricking his finger and letting a few drops fall into the cup.

She just eyed him curiously before turning to Soma who gave a nod in confirmation. "Very well, we have you on record. Kunou's classes have ended. If you follow me, I'll lead you through the school."

"This is where we part, I'll trust the Princess's safety to you." Soma said as he placed a hand on the man's shoulder.

"I'll protect her with my life." John replied. The words came out instinctively. Frankly, he should have been more hesitant to swear his life to protect another, yet it felt _right_.

The woman led him through the school, pointing out certain locations and what-not until they ended up at a classroom. She politely opened the door and motioned for him to enter.

"Kunou, your escort has arrived."

The Kitsune Princess perked up from where she was sitting, a little group of Youkai sitting around with her.

Her eyes widened slightly as they settled on John.

Before he could utter a word, he suddenly had a small fox wrapped around his waist, her face buried in is chest.

He was a bit taken back by the whole thing, apparently the others in the room were as well.

After a moment he just gently placed a hand on her head, only causing her to squeeze tighter. She still had a surprising amount of strength for how small her body was.

"Kunou, whos this?" A voice called out from behind her.

The new girl was about the same height as Kunou, though she had little round ears ontop of her head and a few facial features that reminded him of a ferret.

Kunou lifted her head, releasing her grasp on John as she looked away, a bit embarrassed.

She cleared her throat awkwardly before regaining her composure. "This is John, he was the one who defended us from that criminal."

The girl and her friends practically squealed. "He's your knight!?"

"Knight?" John asked in confusion. Though the term felt oddly _satisfying_.

"Of course! A princess about to be eaten by an evil Dragon, who else saves her but a knight?"

"I'm pretty sure it was a snake…" John replied, looking towards Kunou who refused to meet his eyes.

"I-I'm Shio, Princess of the Kamaitachi clan." She said, blushing a bit as she held out the back of her hand towards him.

'_Kamaitachi?'_ He thought for a moment, the term coming to him. A type of Youkai, somewhat ferret-like, which would explain her features.

He sighed internally; the girls were just playing around he may as well humor them.

Kneeling down, he kissed the back of her hand. "It is a pleasure, My lady."

"Just like a knight!"

"So charming."

The girls squealed as they gathered around Shio.

Kunou huffed as she grabbed John and forcibly dragged him out of the room as the girls were distracted.

"Where is Soma, why are we leaving with you?" She finally asked as they left the building.

"Your mom hired me as your new guard."

She perked up, he tails started to swing a bit faster. "Really!?"

_'Adorable'_. He thought as he saw her get excited.

"Thank you for playing along…." She said quietly.

"Playing along? I don't understand, am I not your knight?"

"O-of course." She replied with a small smile.

"So, where to, Princess?"

She deflated a bit, a little embarrassed. "We….I am grounded, Mother said to come straight home after lessons."

"Hmm, then I guess I should bring you home. Why don't you tell me about your friends as we walk?"

"Shio is a bully." She puffed up. "She dispels our Fox Fire and makes fun of us."

"She was the Kamaitachi that I met, right?"

She nodded. "She is talented in her wind manipulation that her clan is know for. She likes to show off and make fun of us because our Fox Fire….isn't very good."

"How often do you practice it?"

"Fox Fire is instinctive; we do not need to practice it." She replied.

"How do you know?" He asked.

"Mother said that it comes to us naturally." She said smugly.

"Coming to your naturally and being a master are two different things."

She looked at him thoughtfully for a moment. "We shall ask mother tomorrow."

"So, tell me about the others." He said with a smile.

* * *

He had dropped of the little kitsune at her mansion.

One of the house guards was kind enough to show him to his quarters. Another building on the otherside of the compound.

All-in-all, it was a peaceful day.

The guards he had spoken to were understanding of his whole situation.

Actually, most people he interacted with were very hospitable. He was an outsider and he hadn't been treated with any of the disdain or judgmental glares he was expecting.

Perhaps he had just been overthinking things. The _feelings_ he had about Phantasmal Beasts – wherever they came from – were not entirely accurate if he based it on what he experienced today. Something in the back of his head was telling him that their kind were usually hostile to humanity. It did make him wonder who he was before he lost his memories…..he had an opportunity to regain them but he hesitated.

Would he see that place again if he went to sleep?

It was scary.

He didn't know what he would turn into if he became what he was in the past. So much death and fighting that surrounded him.

He wanted his memories back, but another but of him was….._content_, maybe even happy. Right now he didn't have the weight of the world on his shoulders, he could simply live his life.

After a few moments he decided, he would take it all back if the opportunity presented itself. Despite the happiness he was experiencing right now, he did feel a hole in his being, like he was missing a large part of who he was, and he couldn't just deny that piece. He could only trust that he was not a bad person and that he wouldn't change on a fundamental level. Regardless of the name he took, he was still himself.

A bit of tossing and turning before he finally fell asleep.

* * *

The night was over quickly.

He woke up, having slept through the entirety of it without issue. There were no dreams, no endless fields and no mirror versions of himself.

There was an equal amount of disappointment and acceptance. There was no point in getting annoyed or aggravated over something he couldn't control. He was content to just keep living his life right now as things fell into place on their own. It was clear that his body was remembering things, it wouldn't be long before the rest of him remembered as well.

For now, though, he shut off his alarm clock that was beeping at a steady rate.

Even now, it's a bit odd seeing _technology_ in this setting. Houses and buildings that wouldn't look out of place a few hundred years ago and in certain spaces you have things like T.V.s and computers. He expected it to be more medieval, but the supernatural community was apparently keeping up with technology and making their own innovations with combining it with their various magical arts.

Soma had told him yesterday in idle chat that there were even Youkai popping up that had a connection to technology.

Stories about ghosts or other creatures popping out of televisions or hiding out in movies that curse you when you watch. There was a grain of truth in them.

He had even heard about a fairly large company outside of the Kyoto dimension that housed predominantly Technology-based Youkai. Those that could interface with various devices on a conceptual level. They were a very popular repair company that hired Youkai who just wanted to make a decent living in the mundane world.

There was something wholesome about supposed monsters helping families repair their electronics.

His musings were interrupted with a knock on the door.

"Yes?" John asked as he opened it.

"Morning, John. Lady Yasaka requests your presence." Soma greeted.

"I thought I had a few more hours before I had to begin work?" He asked, slightly worried.

"No, no. It's not that, she just wishes to speak before you get busy for the day." The guard replied, waiving off his concerns.

A familiar door was pushed open as the duo walked into the room.

Soma excused himself to disappear to wherever he usually goes.

Yasaka motioned for him to sit as he tried his best to do so as gracefully as possible, unfortunately it just came off as awkward. Though the Youkai leader didn't seem to mind as a smile grew watching him attempt to follow their etiquette.

"You wished to speak to me?"

She looked visible exhausted as her eyes landed on him. "I was just curious how your first day went with my little Kunou."

"Ah, well you will be happy to know I have officially become her knight." He said with a grin.

"You've become her knight? How did this happen?" She said with amusement.

"Something about me slaying an evil dragon and rescuing a princess."

"Ever since they started covering world history, Kunou and her friends have become obsessed with those old fairy tales from the West." She said with a laugh. "So tell me, how was your first day with her without all the fanfare?"

John let out a large sigh. "It was okay."

She raised an eyebrow. "I know my Kunou can be a handful, but was it truly that bad?"

"No, she's a sweet girl and didn't do anything wrong its just…I'm worried with how attached she suddenly became, and I don't think I'm equipped do deal with things of this nature."

"I see….." She replied, rather solemnly. "I thank you for letting me, some less than savory characters would have taken advantage of her."

"Do you have to worry about that often…? Soma made it sound like Kyoto was only a step off paradise." John replied.

She snorted. "That man would. He always tries to keep his political stance neutral. What has he told you?"

"Just some small things, East Kyoto, Devils, the War." He stated.

There was a noticeable twitch on her face when he mentioned devils. "If only it were as simple as he describes things."

She she finished, He noticed a few things off about her. Her hair wasn't quite as pristine as it was the other day. Her eyelids looked heavy, like she had to put effort into keeping them open and she seemed to stare off every few minutes.

"Are….you okay?" He asked hesitantly. The lack of decorum wasn't lost on him as he asked this question.

She looked at him, somewhat in disbelief before she broke down in laughter. "You're the first one to ask me that all day. I've yet to go to sleep and I've had to deal with idio – _envoys_ all day."

It didn't seem like just sleep deprivation, she looked stressed. "Do you…. want to talk about it?"

He knew how weird it was for him to ask that. She was the leader of an entire faction, a people. She was so much higher up on the social ladder that this conversation shouldn't even be happening. Yet, a part of him couldn't help but ask her, a part of him _sympathized._

She looked at him with a look he couldn't discern. It wouldn't be weird to him if she was asking herself if he was an idiot.

There was a moment of silence before she collapsed from her sitting position into one more comfortable. "My butt hurts."

She stared right at him as she said it.

The corners of his lips twitched up as he started to chuckle, followed by her more feminine laugh.

"Uhgggggg, why do I have to constantly deal with idiots." She whined. "Did Soma tell you about the three Abrahamic factions?"

"He mostly mentioned the Devils and glossed over the other ones."

"Well, the Catholic Church decided to pay me a visit. They wanted to discuss the rights to an ore vein found a few miles north of Kyoto. _Apparently_, the had illegally entered my territory, found this vein by accident, and assumed I would be willing to take a pittance for its full mining rights."

"Wait…..they openly admitted to trespassing and glossed over that just to acquire a mine?"

She nodded, a look of exasperation on her face.

"Are they idiots? I mean, I'm new to the moonlit world, but what the hell?"

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" She threw her hands up. "The Bishop that came had the _gall_ to declare that the ore was a gift from their god to their believers and it was their duty to acquire it. He didn't seem to understand how utterly insulting he was being, not to mention he wanted to acquire it practically for free."

"Whats so special about this ore?" He asked. "Clearly it must be extraordinary for them to be so blatant about their desire?"

"Its some weird ore that channels their 'light' based powers more efficiently than most metals." She sighed. "Outside of that, its practically useless for any other purpose. Hell, I wouldn't even had been opposed to selling it. It was utterly worthless to us and we currently aren't antagonistic towards their faction. Some money in our pockets and some goodwill towards another faction, win/win…..but _no_, they had to send that blundering idiot."

"So I take it they aren't getting the ore?"

She smirked. "Oh, they'll be getting it, for the _right_ price."

John couldn't help but smile.

"I just wish I could see the look on his superior's face when he brings back the selling price."

"How bad was it?"

"They could have gotten it for a hundredth of the price I put if he had a lick of common sense."

"Will there be any backlash?"

Again, she began to laugh. "This particular Bishop was exceedingly boastful about the discovery. One would think that an ore that could be made into weapons for their faction would want to be kept to as little ears as possible. They have to purchase it now. The Grigori could also use it, even if they're fallen angels, they still use the 'light' as their power."

"I feel like it didn't quite end there." He noticed the expression on her face as she finished.

"No, it did not. You see, the three Abrahamic factions have been at each other's throats for so long, they have spies embedded in each other's societies to high levels. As I said before, this Bishop ran his mouth about this ore to anyone who would listen. Well, the devils were listening. Light is their anti-thesis, it is literally poison to them. Word got to them, while not something that would cause too many ripples on the higher end of the power-spectrum, a lot of weapons could be made, giving a small edge to the Church."

"So, the devils wanted to intervene?"

"Indeed."

"But, aren't they allies? Wouldn't it be bad to sell this to the church even if the Youkai aren't enemies with them?"

"Allies is a very strong word these days. I'm guessing Soma didn't elaborate on anything that happened after the war." She said.

"He did not, only that the devils were the allies of the Youkai, and left it at that."

"Our relationship is very…..strained." She let out an exasperated sigh. "It all started with those damnable 'evil pieces'."

"Evil Pieces?" He asked.

"After the war, all three factions were low on numbers. The devils figured out a way to mitigate that, they found a way to reincarnate other species into devils."

"I'm not quite sure how to feel about that, is it voluntary?"

"To answer your question, no, the person being reincarnated doesn't have to consent. The way the pieces are created, they mimic chess. You have the king piece, the devil who posses the pieces. They can then reincarnate someone using the other pieces and the person who is reincarnated receives certain upgrades depending on the piece. A bishop usually has increased magical prowess, A rook has increased physical ability, a knight is faster and pawns can use an ability to take on aspects of other pieces if they're in enemy territory. The last piece is the queen who possess all the abilities of the rook, knight, and bishop."

"So a 'king' can just walk up to someone, decide to make them a slave?" John asked in disbelief.

"Yup."

"That's…..what the hell!?"

"Exactly. I'll admit, the design was made with good intentions in mind, but the execution was poorly done. When they were first released, the devils scoured the world looking for the strongest peerage members they could find. There is a limit to what a king can reincarnate based on their own strength, so they couldn't go around forcing gods to become devils, but the situation still spiraled out of control."

"Let me guess, Japan basically being allied territory was swarmed due to that status and they grabbed anyone they could find without care?" He asked.

"That is precisely what happened." She replied. "It also didn't help that reincarnated devils have to stay near their kings until their powers reach a certain point otherwise their demonic energy can go out of control and they lose their rationality. I believe they use the term 'stray devils' for those who 'abandoned' their kings."

"So, they're slaves, plain and simple?"

"Yup." She sighed. "There are good devils, I'm not belittling their entire race, I know many families who treat their peerage like family and only reincarnate those who give their consent knowing all factors."

"So how did the situation in Japan turn out when the devils started to swarm?"

"It hit the breaking point when the princess of a predominant family was _forcibly_ taken. Obviously, they were furious, righteously so, but the devils wouldn't budge. The one who took her was of a pillar family, one of their so called 'nobility'. I was trying my best to keep the political situation from boiling over, but the family got fed up and kidnapped the king along with their princess. They kept him comatose in their dungeon so the princess wouldn't go out of control."

"I'm assuming the devils didn't take that well?"

"Oh no. There were threats of war, invasion, ect. It was obvious to every faction in the world that the devils were in the wrong and they were not in any state to enter another war. When the family was approached to negotiate, they told the devils to…..pound sand." She began to laugh. "Similar situations started to crop up all around the world. Talented individuals being taken away, until everyone finally became fed up."

"Everyone was sick of war at that point, many were dead and almost every faction were licking t heir wounds in some capacity. But it was the Greeks that finally drew a line in the sand. They declared that if any devil reincarnated someone in their territory, Zeus would personally strike them down."

"They ignored the warning, didn't they?"

"Yes, yes they did." She said with a smile. "I'll admit, it was therapeutic by proxy. The only reason the various factions across the world didn't escalate was because no one really wanted another war so soon. It had taken its toll; many were dead, and the grieving was still happening. Eventually, almost everyone banned the practice in their territory and threatened repercussions if broken."

She was silent for a moment before speaking again. "I think I went off on a tangent, we were talking about what happened after that stupid Bishop came around."

John nodded. "You mentioned the devils wanting to intervene."

"Yes, anyways, our relations are very much strained at this point. _Technically_ we are still allies, but at this point we wouldn't be marching off to war if the devils got attacked. It wasn't even just about the evil pieces, there were other incidents that kept piling up. And don't even get my started about the Nekoshous, I need Alcohol in me before I talk about that colossal fuck-up."

"So, their head of foreign relations decides she is going to intervene _personally_. So here comes queen bitch to burst into the place like she owns it and _tells_ me not to sell to the church. She marched right in and acted like we were best friends. No, there haven't been any major incidents in the past few years, but that doesn't mean what happened previously was forgotten!"

"And the Abrahamic factions wonder why no one outside of their religion likes them. They're arrogant because their religion is the most wide-spread."

"And to top this shitty day off, I get a report that Fae are starting to pop up all over the world." She let out a whine.

"Fae, as in fairies?" He asked, there was something about them that sent a shiver down his spine when spoken about.

She giggled. "I never realized out odd it would sound to an outsider, little tinkerbells flying around and everyone is freaking out."

He couldn't help but smile at the picture of gods running away from little winged creatures.

"The Fae are the most reclusive species in the world. They generally don't get involved with anyone and the last time someone got uppity with them…..well a certain pantheon lost several of their gods."

"So this reclusive race suddenly are popping up, have they said what they're doing?"

"From whats been gathered, they're searching for something and haven't given anymore information. They tend to keep to themselves and don't cause trouble, so most factions are just hesitantly watching for now."

She let out one last sigh, looking physically better. "Thank you for this, I didn't realize how much I needed to vent until now."

"Its fine…..and if you need an ear again I don't mind listening." He replied.

A small, genuine smile rose up on face.

_'She has a beautiful smile'_ He thought.

"I suppose I've kept you long enough, its almost time for my little girl to get to her lessons." She stated.

He bowed to her as he got up, getting a small chuckle from the kitsune. "Until next time, My Lady."

"Until I require your services again, Sir Knight."

* * *

**Author's note. **

**First off, wrote it again on my phone so possibly more grammar and spelling mistakes. **

**So the story is starting to get into swing, building relationships with the characters, finding out a little about the world without it being just exposition. My direction with the relations between the Youkai and the devils is not a knee-jerk reaction based on the comments, i just want to point that out now. This is where i always intended to go. Also, before i get comments about the stupidity of some of the faction representatives, some of the people in cannon are pretty fucking stupid and do some really stupid things. I mean, look at how excalibur was handled. Pieces were stolen so lets send out two untrained exorcists, equiped with the remainder of the of the Excalibur swords to go after the thieves who broke into some highly guarded places to steal the other swords. _That couldn't go badly at all!_. So yeah, some pretty stupid people on every end. Also, this isn't just going to be me bashing the other factions, there are stupid and smart people everywhere, i just wanted Yasaka to have a bad day to vent to John about. **

**So anyways, leave your comments i'll address concerns next chapters in another Author's note. **


	5. Chapter 5

"Glad you could make it, brat!" The Oni-Monkey Youkai greeted.

"Am I late?" He asked, looking around the courtyard and no one was there but the two of them.

"Nope, the others get a day off I have some errands and you're going to be coming with me." She replied.

"Not what I was expecting…"

"Eh, some of it is important for your training." She stated. "Also, we need to pick something up from that old dwarf before we go."

As she finished, she grabbed him and started to drag him towards the smithery.

She was unsurprisingly quick on her feet, navigating through the various people walking around. Though many of them had eyes widened when she approached, opting to move out of her way. If anything, it was a bit worrying that she elicited such a response.

"OLD DWARF" She shouted, pushing the door open.

"Oi, stupid monkey, be quiet." The man shouted from the back. Some clanking of metal stopped after a moment and he walked out from the back. "I told ya a hundred times, don' be shoutin when I'm workin, some things be delicate an ya could mess me up."

"Yeah, yeah. The day you mess something up is the day I stop hitting things with my stick." She shrugged. "You got what I asked for?"

The dwarf sighed. "I finished'er up about an hour ago. It were a bit harder to make than I first reckoned, so don' be expectin a replacement every other day."

"Its not for me, its for him." She said, ushering over to john, a wicked grin on her face.

The Dwarf raised an eyebrow. "You have my sympathies, lad."

She excitedly took the object and slapped it onto John's wrist. It coiled around forming a bracelet.

There was various etchings around it….no that wasn't right. Not just etchings, each one had meaning, a power behind them. John knew what they were, the word suddenly sprang up in his mind – Runes.

"Boop" The woman said as she poked the bracelet.

Immediately, one of the runes on the bracelet lit up, and an oppressive force suddenly descended on him.

The surprise of it had caused him to drop to his knees briefly. It took him a moment to adjust before standing up. It felt like he was holding weights all over his body.

It was an interesting feeling.

His body was moving noticeably slower than what his brain was used to.

"This is neat." He finally said, getting used to the effect.

"Aye it is. Was an annoyin effect ta finally work out." The dwarf said, smiling.

"How does it work?" He asked.

"I'll spare ya all the magical mumbo-jumbo. Basically, the runes be creatin a localized gravitational increase on the wearer."

"Thank you, I can only imagine how beneficial this will be for me." John said.

"Think nothin of it, lad. It was fun to work out, just don be expectin another anytime soon." He said with a hearty laugh.

"Thanks old Dwarf, you're the best as always." Saru-Sensei replied.

The man snorted. "If ya want to thank me, stop breaking yer sticks."

The woman looked away, a little embarrassed. "We gotta hit the road, later Yathad."

"Get outta 'ere." He replied, a smile on his face

John let out a long breath as he left the building. "So hot…"

"You should see it when he fires up the forge for something special. There are ores that need to reach absurd levels to smelt." She chuckled. "I heard that a few winters ago, the snow within a mile of the Smith was melted."

"Anyways, we need to head towards the north exit"

It was a bit awkward for him to keep up a pace with her with the newfound weight on his shoulders. "How many exits are there for this 'dimension'?"

"There are four public entrances and exits, each corresponding to a cardinal direction. We're heading towards the north one right now."

"Anything special about them?" He asked.

"Not really, its not like they hold any substantial meaning. It was just a good place to connect back to the real world."

"You said _public_, are there private ones?"

She smiled mischievously at him. "The big families usually have their own secret exit/entrance for emergencies. And there are also some super-secret portals if you know where to look."

"Oh? I'm assuming that the main entrances are all guarded, and they note who comes and goes?"

"Yup, so its hard to smuggle things in sometimes, though we don't have _that_ many things that are banned but there is an underground market."

"If its common enough knowledge, then Lady Yasaka probably already knows and keeps an eye on them already." John mused.

"Crime will never go away, its better to find a good balance and not let it escalate into anything that would need intervention. Truthfully, a lot of the stuff that gets sold on the 'black market' we don't' really even care about. Its just good to have plausible deniability if other factions in the world find out about it."

"Interesting, what kind of things are sold that you wouldn't want a hand in?"

"Things like Angel Feathers, Demi-God blood, ect. Stuff that other races would get exceedingly upset over if they found out was being sold without consent. Its not really 'banned' as in illegal, but more so would cause problems on an international level. Its kinda the equivalent of the organ sells that go on in the mundane black market between humans." She replied.

"There are official channels and procedure to acquire organs, is that the same for the supernatural world's 'body parts' of other races?" He asked. The idea was a bit intriguing. Something popped up in his head telling him that certain parts were valuable for magic users or crafting purposes.

She nodded as they came to a large archway at the end of the street.

He could feel the amount of energy just concentrated on this singular point. A vortex of swirling magic that connected this dimension to the real world.

Looking at his companion, the woman didn't even flinch as they approached the torrent of magic.

He followed her lead as she just casually strolled through the portal.

It wasn't even a second later that he was now standing on the side of a street, the faint outline of the portal he just left was behind him in an alleyway. Truthfully, he expected something _more_. He was simply there then here and there was no weird experience or odd teleportation feeling that he was somewhat expectant of.

The few humans that were out and about didn't even spare them a glance as they seemingly appeared from nowhere. It was also doubtful that any of them could feel the ambient magic that was cascade out as they had left.

Even as they left the 'safety' of the portal, the magic that surrounded the area was strong enough to dissuade any notice of the locals, Saru-Sensei also didn't get noticed by any humans.

John could notice the traces of magical energy flowing around her. No doubt it was some kind of spell or ability to hide her physical features.

Her reddish skin, horns, and fur would obviously stand out in the normal world. Strangely, this odd combination of physical characteristics came together in a way that you could easily call her beautiful. Like, if Youkai weren't hidden from the world, she would probably have offers for modeling.

Though, most stares in the Kyoto dimension were that of fear or apprehension. He was more than aware that she had a _reputation_.

He pitied the man who caught her eye…or envied him. He was still on the fence about that. Not that he had those thoughts towards the woman.

If he had a type, strong women definitely made it to that category, though she wasn't really the correct 'type'. He liked the more refined strength, not the wild and impulsive kind that he felt she was.

His random thoughts were interrupted as they came upon a parking garage. Nothing really out of the ordinary, it was only a mild walk from the portal they left, but there was a plaque on the entrance. It faintly pulsated with magic and was in the form of a Kyuubi.

John walked up to it, lightly placing his hand on the carved outline.

Nothing happened, but the magic was still gently cascading off, like a beacon.

"Noticed it, huh?" The youkai stated.

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's a 'signal' for lack of a better term. It lets any youkai know that the building is owned or operated under Yasaka."

"Why does that need to be broadcasted?"

"A few reasons, mainly for any wayward Youkai that are out and about and need to get back to the pocket dimension. The dimension is decently large, but it can get a little cramp at times. Younger Youkai especially have a hard time being confined to such a place for long periods. So, they like to come out and explore the human world. At the same time, many aren't adjusted to the outside world, it can be a bit overwhelming for them so we have a bunch of places that they can go to if they need assistance. Besides being a place that Youkai can store their vehicles, this place also has an emergency phone that connect to the building's 'owner' which is either a Youkai or is someone aware of the supernatural and can get in contact with Yasaka's people."

"Of course there are other places, businesses all over Kyoto that have this 'signal' for any that can notice it. They keep an eye out for anything strange going on along with their mundane jobs."

"Interesting, so they double as Lady Yasaka's eyes and ears, along with being legitimate businesses that contribute to the faction." John stated. "With the amount of 'people' that reside within the dimension, they require a lot of resources, most of which probably come from these companies?"

"Yup, the main thing is food,. There are a few farms and such inside, but nothing that could supply the entirety of the Youkai population. Most of the companies under the Youkai's control are intermediaries for those unaware companies so we can import the stuff."

_'That's pretty smart'_ He couldn't help but think.

Not only do the businesses bring in revenue, but they also supply the Youkai population with necessities and other goods ontop of being 'lookouts' while out in the real world. There were even more possibilities with Youkai who didn't want to live in the pocket dimension but needed real jobs. It was a win/win in that Yasaka's people could still watch over them and make sure they didn't cause trouble while also allowing them their freedom.

"Come on, got a van I'm barrowing for the trip." The woman said.

"Trip?"

"Road trip!" She practically squealed in excitement.

She continued to drag him up into the parking garage. The van was nothing special, one that would be used to haul a bunch of stuff.

"Too bad we can't take my baby, the stuff we're grabbing is too big and heavy." She said, looking rather excited. "Two-hour trip, I could do it in less than half of that!"

"Should I be thankful then?" He said, quirking an eyebrow. The thought of this woman behind something fast while he was in the passenger seat did send a shiver down his spine.

"Pssh, you're in good hands when I'm behind the wheel. You should see me when I'm on the circuit."

"You're a professional racer?" He asked, a bit in disbelief.

"Well…..in a sense." She said, a small grin on her face.

"Illegal street racing, why am I not surprised?" He said, rolling his eyes. "Though I find it a bit odd I actually know things about this. I _feel_ like cars aren't really my thing. A bike though…"

The thought of a motorcycle did sound appealing. Something he would have to look into when he got some money to his name. He would require transportation outside of the pocket dimension after all.

"The excitement of the cops chasing you, it just adds to the experience." A look of satisfaction on her face, recalling some memories. "A bike…. I could get behind that. Never tried one myself, but its got wheels and can go fast, I'd probably like it."

That fit pretty well with what he gleamed from her personality. She did seem like the kind of person to throw caution to the wind. It also raised a curious question, what do the Youkai – and other non-humans – do when they get arrested? Do they even bother getting arrested and going through the whole song and dance or do they use some magic tomfoolery to slip away?

Though if he had to guess, the supernatural community probably used some sort of hypnosis or had people high up in the various organizations to remove themselves from trouble if the need arises.

He wouldn't be surprised if Yasaka, or the other leader, basically owned the mundane government. Some well-placed Youkai in certain positions, or supernaturally aware humans who have contracts or owe debts to her. With how long lived the species she supervises are, them or their ancestors probably watched as modern-day Kyoto took form over the years. It wouldn't be too hard to place themselves into positions of power as the city got built up.

"Alright, here we are." Saru-Sensei said, pressing a button on the keychain she was holding. A nearby white van beeped, unlocking the doors.

He took a peek in the back, through a window. There were four – large barrels.

"Hop in, its going to be a bit of a ride before we get there."

John just shrugged and got in the passenger seat. It was nice, in a way, to not have to really have any worries.

He didn't know where they were going, what they were going to do, but it was fine. Besides having to be back to pick up Kunou from her lessons, he had no other responsibilities at the moment.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to leave the bounds of Kyoto, the towering skyscrapers were no longer on the horizon as they started to move through the country-side.

His companion was, surprisingly, a very careful driver.

If anything, she seemed really at peace as she just calmly drove through the country.

They just held a casual conversation as the minutes passed. She just talked about anything regarding the supernatural world that popped in her head. Common sense, or just common knowledge that one should know. He'd appreciated that everyone around him had been patient and had explained things in detail.

It genuinely helped; some things would not be obvious to someone who entered this world for the first time. Or something in his circumstances that _forgot_.

It didn't take too long to arrive at their destination. About two hours of driving and they came upon a large stone staircase that ascended a small mountain.

The place was relatively deserted, but it was very well kept. There wasn't any cracking in the stone steps, nor was the place overgrown with vegetation.

His teacher went to the back and opened the doors, carefully placing the empty barrels on the ground.

"Alright, you're going to carry one of these up the steps, I'll take the other three."

John looked at the barrel, nudging it slightly to get a feel for the weight, then looking at the stairs that disappeared into the mountain.

He had gotten used to the little trinket on his wrist, but that didn't mean he wasn't still affected.

He hefted the barrel up with a sigh. There wasn't any point in complaining. He wanted this, he wanted to get stronger. Something inside of him had the burning desire, _the need_ to become stronger.

Even with his internal motivation, there was a bit of a deflation as he watched her practically juggle the three other barrels with ease.

_'She's doing it on purpose'_ He thought, noticing the smirk she shot his way.

"Keep up, brat." She chuckled as she glided up the steps.

"Ones of these days…." He said in a low grumble.

The first hundred steps or so weren't particularly bad. It was the second hundred that got a little difficult.

Then the next hundred.

And the next Hundred.

And the next Hundred.

Frankly, he felt that counting the steps were making them harder as he progressed.

_Finally,_ he came to what looked like a 'check point'. There was a bench and laying down, eyes closed, was a certain monkey.

"Took you long enough." The woman said, not even opening her eyes.

The blonde just sighed. "How much further up is it?"

"Eh, we're about halfway there, give or take a few steps."

"I hope this trip is worth it."

"It will be, you'll see." She replied. "Set the barrel down, I wanted to show you something."

She motioned for him to follow her off the path and into the forest.

He wouldn't question it, he needed a break and that barrel was heavy even if it was empty.

The terrain wasn't exactly flat as they crossed into the forestry. His muscles were still aching, but it was a relief over what he had been doing before.

She seemed to know where she was going, as she didn't even do a double take of her surroundings.

It took a few minutes, but they came to a certain clearing. The canopy of this particular forest was rather dense as they went further in. Only in this spot they found themselves was the sun beating in at its full capacity. Everywhere else you could barely see the sun rays pierce the thick branches.

That wasn't all though. Something about this area felt…._off._

Not particularly in a bad way, just different from before.

He watched his companion moved towards a tree. He felt her gather some of her magic or Youkai equivalent that they use. She took out her stick and lightly tapped it on the tree, a rhythmic pattern that echoed throughout the forest.

There was a sudden stillness as all the natural sound ceased. Bugs stopped their calls, birds stopped chirping.

The forest was silent.

If he had been alone, he may have been a bit worried. Though his instincts weren't flaring up. Something he came to trust the past few days. He seemed to have a natural danger sense that hadn't failed him yet and it was telling him not to be worried.

It was only moments later that lights began to manifest.

Little green motes of lights started to pour out of the nearby trees. Their green glow filling the forest as they danced around the area.

It was…..breathtakingly beautiful.

These little light spots swirling round him as they flew in every direction. Happily dancing in the light wind that swept through the forest.

They became so dense that he lost track of Saru-sensei.

This phenomenon continued for a few more minutes until they started to disappear, returning to the vegetation from whence they spawned.

Once the forest returned to normal, he realized he was no longer in the same spot he was previously. He had moved around without even thinking and his companion was nowhere in sight.

He lost his sense of direction as everywhere looked the same.

With a shrug, he just chose a direction and went. He was sure that his companion would be able to find him in no-time. He may as well explore a little bit, its not every day you visit a place like this.

It didn't take much time until he heard the sound of running water.

It was a very clear river; he could see to the bottom with ease.

Walking down to the edge, he leaned over cupping his hands to get a bit of water.

As he went to bring his hands to his mouth, his eyes widened as an arm reached out from within the water, grabbed him, and pulled him in.

The river wasn't that deep, he could almost stand up in this particular part, so he quickly adjusted himself to look around.

To his surprise he saw a trio of girls laughing at him a dozen yards away.

It only took a moment to realize he wasn't actually being attacked.

But what took his attention the most, were the tails that splashed around behind the girls.

_'Mermaids'_ He realized. _'Could explain why a hand seemed to appear out of nowhere even though the water was crystal clear.'_

The three looked like sisters? They had similar features, but he didn't want to assume with other races.

"Ladies" He greeted, stepping back onto land.

"He's not freaking out." One of them pouted.

"Nor is he ogling us." The smallest one stated.

"He's pretty cute." The apparent oldest one said, licking her lips.

"Jeese, you're such a slut." The youngest replied towards the older one.

The oldest just pushed her sister's head into the water as she swam over to the edge where John was. "So… handsome, what brings a human all the way out here?"

"Just running an errand, went off the path and got a little lost."

"I could tell you the way back…..if you spend some time with me." She cooed.

John could feel a sort of pricking sensation in his head. Something telling him to jump back into the water, a compulsion. Though it was squashed rather quickly.

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm not much of a swimmer."

"Oooooh, bitch got denied." One of the others hollered.

"Whats wrong, your saggy tits not getting all the guys to drool over you anymore?"

The oldest looked back, irritated at her sisters only for a smirk to form on her face as she turned back to John. "Don't my breasts look lovely?"

She did her best to emphasize her rather endowed chest.

He chose not to respond and kept eye contact with her.

"Oops…my bikini fell off….." She said with fake surprise as the cloth started to wash away down the river.

He looked down briefly. "Meh, 6/10." He stated.

He'd seen better.

The two other sisters began to break down in laughter as the older sister got a bit flustered. She dived into the water to retrieve her discarded bikini a moment later.

"You're fun, most guys just start drooling when she does her little 'act'" The younger one said. "My name's Dot."

"A pleasure." John replied. "My name is John."

"A foreigner?" She looked at him. "Though most humans look the same to me. I'm the youngest, this is my sister Harmony." She motioned towards the other mermaid next her who gave him a smile and a nod.

"The slut is the oldest, her name's Melody."

"I am not a slut" Melody shouted, popping out of the water, now clothed.

"Sure, you aren't. You just propositioned someone you didn't know for sex within minutes of meeting them." Harmony stated.

"Mom always said, you need to grab the good ones quickly." Melody replied.

"How do you know I'm a good one?" John asked, mildly curious.

"I smell that stupid monkey on you, so regardless, if I steal you from her that makes it a good one." She smirked.

"What was that?" A voice called out.

John could recognize the voice of the woman he had been traveling with.

"I called you a stupid monkey." Melody reiterated, diving into the water.

"Bitch." Harmony also added, looking at the woman before also diving down.

Saru-Sensei's eyes turned to the youngest who also locked eyes with her.

"Hag." She said before joining her sisters.

"Those girls….." The woman said in exasperation. "One of these days, I'm going to smack them with my stick."

"I take it you know them?"

She snorted. "Practically grew up with them as they came around here a lot. Mermaids are an arrogant bunch."

"Why are mermaids coming here, I thought they were Greek?"

"Eh, not really. They were just popularized in Greece. They pop up all around the world, they just like to come here because the river."

"Whats special about the river?"

"Its home to a River-God. His shrine is at the top of the mountain." With that, she grabbed his hand and with a sudden surge of power, they disappeared from the spot.

* * *

John was understandably disorientated when they reappeared in the front of a large shrine.

"Did…..we just teleport?"

"Yup." Saru-Sensei replied.

"And we couldn't have done that from the bottom of the mountain?"

"Well…I wanted you to get a little bit of a workout and I didn't have permission before."

"What do you mean permission?" He asked, deciding to ignore the first part of the explanation.

"She means, I don't allow anyone to teleport on this mountain without my approval." A voice called out.

He looked up at the entrance of the shrine. A woman walked out wearing the traditional garb of a shrine maiden. She had long black hair, and a flawless face. Everything about her was the epitome of a traditional Japanese beauty.

"Yeah, I had to let her know I was here before she allowed me to teleport. You don't want people just teleporting willy-nilly in your territory." The Youkai stated.

The Shrine maiden looked over to John, her expression was a bit cold as she stared him down. "Is this the one you told me about, the _idiot you were saving yourself for?_"

John just looked at her in confusion, then turned to face his teacher.

She was…_'Oh wow, I didn't think her face could get any redder.'_ He thought.

"Sis, don't just blurt that out!" She said, trying to hide her blush.

"So it is?" The Shrine maiden asked, a sly smile on her face.

"N-no, its someone else." The usually confident Youkai stuttered out. "This is the new student I told you about."

"Ah, the amnesiac." She nodded, turning to John. "I'm Miya, no family name. It's a pleasure to meet the latest project of my little Kuniumi."

"Latest project?" That didn't sound ominous at all to the blonde.

"Anything that catches her attention, it doesn't even have to be about fighting."

"You make it sound like I can't control myself…" The Youkai grumbled.

Miya just chuckled. "Come, I finished filling the barrels." She ushered them into the shrine.

John followed his teacher, a bit hesitant as to not do anything disrespectful. He wasn't aware of any customs or etiquette that went into the shrine.

It was rather plain, but also very homey. There was something about the place that felt relaxing.

He supposed it could be attributed to being blessed by an actual deity?

"Thanks sis, you're the best, as always." The Youkai wrapped her arms around the other woman.

"Yeah yeah, you say that every time you come up here, but you never visit just to visit." Miya replied.

"I'm busy, I have responsibilities."

"Responsibilities huh? That didn't stop you from getting arrested last month." The Shrine maiden said, eyes narrowed.

The Youkai woman looked rather sheepish at her comment.

_'Huh, guess that answers my question from before.' _John thought as he watched these apparent sisters interact.

Though, he was highly doubtful they were biological sisters. Not that it really mattered. Family was more than just blood.

"I do chat with Yasaka every so often." She said, smacking her sister upside the head. "Don't think you can be getting in trouble without me coming down there to kick your rear"

"Sorry….."

"If you're sorry, stay out of trouble." Miya chided, though her gaze turned soft as she looked over her sister. Letting out a sigh, the woman fixed the Youkai's hair and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Just…..take care of yourself, I worry sometimes."

"Sorry, I'll come visit more." She whispered.

"I know you have a life to live, you don't have to come here all the time." The shrine maiden smiled, waiving off her response. "Anyways, I got the barrel filled, the next batch won't be ready for another few months, the old man is sleeping."

"Thanks sis."

"Anything for my little Kuniumi." Miya replied, snapping her fingers, causing the barrels to disappear. "I know you can't stay long, so I'll open a portal to the base of the mountain."

As she finished speaking, a new portal opened.

Taking a good look at it, it was a bit different than the portal that connected the Kyotos.

It wasn't just a vortex of swirling magic, but more like a rip in space that connected this point to one at the foot of the mountain. He could actually see outside it as he stepped through, along with his companion.

The Shrine Maiden followed them out as she stood at the edge of the stairs. "Next time you come, you better be prepared to stay for awhile."

"I will sis, just got things to do right now." The Monkey Youkai replied.

"It was nice meeting you." John stated, earning a smile from the woman and a wave as the two loaded the barrels into the van and began to drive off.

* * *

Miya was bored.

Something that was not all uncommon for her life these days.

Perhaps if she knew this was how she would end up, she would have made a different decision all those years ago.

Watching the eras pass by, the people change. The world changed so rapidly that she couldn't believe it sometimes.

She could recall when the supernatural walked among the humans in the open. When myth and legend were normal and revered. When she actually had worshippers come to pay their respects to the old man.

Back….when she had friends. When people actually came to speak to her.

Now though, she was forgotten a relic of a bygone age.

Humans these days didn't even understand what a shrine maiden was. Let alone give her the respect and admiration that they once did in the past.

When was the last time she had a genuine worshipper come up the mountain to pray to the old man?

Hell, when was the last time the old man was awake for more than a few months.

It was something they didn't like to talk about, but both of them were more than aware. The belief and worship that sustained the River-God was waning. The old man was only a fraction of the power he was in his heyday. Though he could never match up to those heavy hitters in the Shinto Religion, he was still a force to be reckoned with back in the day.

But now, he sleeps most of the time to lessen the burden. A stop-gap measure that would help for the next couple hundred years, if things stayed the same, but it gets worse and worse as time goes on.

She had been in talks with Yasaka about helping popularize the shrine again.

They already get a few hundred wayward travelers or tourists during certain months of the year, but it isn't enough.

They don't _truly_ believe. Its not like the prayers and worship that many send to their chosen deity.

_Residual Belief_, they called it. Though it was little more than acknowledgement of the divine being.

A mere fraction of the effect that a true worshipper would have for a god. But, it was something atleast.

Belief was how gods survived.

Its why so many wars were fought over the territory of the mortal races. The more worshippers one has, the more powerful they become.

When the big-name gods retreated from the mortal world, they also took a large portion of humans and other mortals with them.

Creating their own realms, The Greeks with Olympus, the Norse with the Nine-Realms, Shinto with Takamagahara. Their own little realms where the humans are solely devoted to them. They have their own cities, their own customs and way of life. Where these big-name gods could lord over their believers like they did in the past.

They still fought over the mortal word, but it was more subtle and with less bloodshed.

But, this wasn't an option for the _lesser_ gods. Those not part of a large pantheon. Those that lay forgotten and who fade into obscurity.

Still though, she took a page out of the book of the larger factions and tried to modernize.

When the internet came around, she hopped on bored. Though it was expensive and difficult to get it out where she was. There was a lot of magic-fuckery that had to go on to get a stable connection.

But it helped, she posted about the shrine all over the place. A few more people that came around every year.

It also helped stem her boredom.

For someone over 300 years old, she needed something to keep herself sane when she lived all by herself on the mountain.

Still, it was a bit disheartening to see how easy the larger factions had it.

Their resources and what-not just dwarfed anything she could achieve.

Things like Manga and Anime that were developed in the East and Released in the west. How many of them just referenced the Shinto gods? Enough that even the Westerners knew them by name. You could ask an American who Amaterasu was, and maybe one in twenty could answer. It didn't seem like much, but taking into account that there are hundreds of millions of them? Yeah, the belief that stems from that number was hard to quantify.

Frankly, it was brilliant on their part.

Most of the factions did similar things.

Over the years, it became less and less about fighting over the individuals and more so fighting over their time.

Chances were that if product or something was named after a god or goddess, they probably had a hand in it.

Hell, she ordered the special – _Aphrodite's Temptation_ Chocolates that came around every valentine's day.

Thankfully, she was on good terms with Yasaka and the Youkai in general. Before the Kyoto dimension was created, she had often helped any lost Youkai and sent them towards the others. This earned her a lot of good will from them.

They would figure out something that help increase the number of travelers that came by, and not just those annoying mermaids that used the river like their own personal playground.

Speaking of travelers.

She felt someone powerful step foot on the mountain, rather _two_ powerful entites. But it felt like one of them had their power sealed. If she wasn't attuned to the place they were walking, she would have never felt it.

One she recognized immediately, and it put a smile on her face.

Her little Kuniumi.

It always made her month when her little sister came to visit. It was happening less and less these days, but it was understandable even if it was sad.

Her sister had a life to live and she couldn't keep that bundle of energy contained on the mountain.

How many times had she insisted on fighting the old man?

Though, thankfully, the old man was very easy going for a god. He would play around with her until she tired out.

He truly was a nice god.

She was happy that he was the one who found her when her parents abandoned her on the mountain all those years ago.

That giant of a man, trying his best to change her diaper. The thought always put a smile on her face.

Frankly, he looked a lot like Hagrid form Harry potter. A bit larger, a well kept beard and wearing white robes, he could pass for the man.

But musing needed to be put aside though, she was curious who this person was with her kuniumi.

She was intertwined with her old man's domain. She was the Shrine-Maiden, basically the gods mouth-piece. She could siphon some of his power while on the mountain to oversee his territory.

Briefly, she could temporarily 'ascend' herself to a higher state of existence if she took in enough divine power. Almost like being possessed by the god.

She didn't do quite that, but she focused a bit on herself as she then looked into that man that walked beside her little sister.

Eyes that no longer belonged to a mortal focused on him.

On the surface, he wasn't much more than a normal human, but there was something beneath. Hidden in the depths of his being.

A familiar presence lurked beneath.

Power given form.

A beast of destruction, a calamity on scaled wings.

The tales of their wrath still echoed across the world. Their deeds leaving scars on every faction.

Creatures that caused even the gods on their gilded thrones to give a wide birth to.

_A Dragon_.

Her little sister brought a god-damned _Dragon_ to her mountain.

She started to panic, slightly losing control of the divine power she was channeling. In her haste, she grabbed too much too quickly.

It was only then that she saw something else.

_Light_.

Such a warm light was inside of him.

She wanted to reach out and touch it. It made her feel a happiness she hadn't felt in years. It forced up memories that she would always cherish, regardless of how long she lived.

It made her calm down and look at the situation again.

He wasn't a rampaging dragon, he was something else…..something different.

She continued to watch for a few more minutes, some banter between the two. Her sister teasing the man as she hefted the large barrel up the steps.

_How peculiar, what exactly did you find this time, my little kuniumi?_

* * *

**Author's Note**

**So, been a bit longer than I would have liked. Things happen, been super busy with work and it's hard to come home some days and sit down to write.**

**Chapter-wise, this is about two-times the length of a normal chapter. It was planning on going another chapter lenght, but i found a good place to stop and i now have about half the next chapter done. So, it should be out sooner than this past chapter.**

**So on to the chapter itself. I know people don't really like OC, but given the nature of the story there are going to be many OCs. Japan as a whole isn't really fleshed out in the canon, its basically just Kuoh or devil stuff. There are tons of lore about Japan and other places i wanted to touch on. The River god i 'introduced' is basically a Kami. A lesser god that doesn't really belong to any pantheon like the big-names but still sustains itself off mortal belief.**

**I also wanted to flesh out the OCs a bit too. It won't be heavily focused on them, but i want them to feel like real people next to the main characters. Some won't be making too many appearances, but i don't want just to keep throwing faceless people at the story. Like the mermaids, they don't really play any significant role, but i wanted to just keep the world intertwined and a little interesting. They don't have anything important to do, but they have a small backstory, they're about the same age as Kuniumi and they are antagonistic towards the Youkai in question. **

**There will be 'real characters' making appearances. Some of the 'main cast' but not any of the main characters for awhile. Some have been teased so far, but without any names being said. Like when i talked about the head of relations for the Devils, thats Serafall. Also, the briefly mentioned love-interest for the Monkey-Youkai is actually a devil. Not a super huge plot point, but its something to bring up later on to connect across factions. It may seem weird that i'm pairing together her with a devil after the last time i basically shat on the devil faction, but i felt like it was in the nature of the Youkai. To me, they seemed like a close-knit community thats hard to gain the trust of, but when you do you're treated like one of them. So if a devil bothered to be cordial and gain their respect, they would look past the incidents that happened between the specific factions and not judge the individual on the sins of their race. It may seem like me just jerking the Youkai faction instead of the devils like most other stories, but in reality i think they are just a simpler people. Not in the 'stupid sense', but more so they are less likely to play the political games that are ingrained on the devils. **

**Anyways, moving onto our protagonist. John old boy, the amnesiac. Not much is happening with him, isn't he supposed to be the main characters? Why isn't he being shuffled around and held up to the world? Well, he isn't that important? He's been here all of a few days, hes still just coping and trying to understand the world he found himself in. I never understood the random inserts that other stories do that are like 'insert nobody' and suddenly they're the center of the world's attention by just existing. Outside of the small amount of Youkai and others in Yasaka's circle, he hasn't done anything note-worthy for people to take attention of. Don't take this as me saying nothings going to happen, shit is going to go down eventually but at the moment he's just exploring this new place. While the plot is still a bit slow i just wanted to build the world and the people. Things will eventually pick up and he will start getting less passive in nature. **

**So to finish up, basically just some more world building and characters being fleshed out. A more John(Arthur) centric chapter next. **

**I always felt that my biggest flaw as a writer (And i use the term extremely loosely.) is that i rush. I want to get somewhere in the story so i skip over alot of details and the world in general. I'm trying my best to not do that and slow the hell down. I actually rewrote this chapter from what it was initially because i realized i was going way too fast. **

**As always, leave a comment i like to read them all even if they have little relevance on the story. Any thoughts or concerns, i do read them but don't always reply since its mostly on my phone. **


	6. Chapter 6

The courtyard was rather empty.

The duo had just gotten back from their little road-trip having only stopped in a couple places to pick up some supplies that Saru-Sensei needed.

The main thing being the four barrels that were carried into a nearby storehouse.

It was clear that they held some kind of liquid, even more so when the woman walked out with a newly filled jug full of the stuff.

She took out a small cup and pour into it, carefully filling it to the brim as to not spill a drop.

"Here" She finally said, holding it out to the amnesiac.

"What is this?" He asked, looking at the clear liquid. If it were any normal situation, he would have automatically assumed it was water. It looked _exactly_ like water, albeit very clear and a slight aura coming off it.

"The reason we went to the shrine, its _Blessed Water_." She stated, looking rather proud. "Its relatively hard to come by, not many deities are willing to do something so 'lowly' for mere mortals." She said, emphasizing the sarcasm.

"I assume this only works with Water-based gods?" He asked. Though the question may have seemed obvious, and even he could guess the answer, he didn't want to assume when it came to beings that ruled over aspects of the world.

"Yeah, it's a matter of _Domain_. A god can infuse their 'essence' into something that correlates to their power. That Greek goddess of harvests, whatever her name is, does something similar to produce."

"Strawberries, as big as your head…so good." She said, absentmindedly, staring off into the distance for a moment. She quickly corrected herself, wiping away a little bit of drool. "Anyways, Blessed water, has a lot of good effects for the person who drinks it and its usually pretty expensive with low supply."

"Interesting, what kinds of effects does it provide?" He asked.

"It essentially expels negatives from the body while also fighting disease, promoting longevity and giving a temporary energy boost along with a minor increase to the bodies natural healing factor."

"Impressive, I can understand why such a commodity would be expensive." John admitted, eyeing the cup.

"Yup, and sis hooks us up with a few barrels every few months" The Youkai said, pride clear in her voice. "Now, drink up so we can get a little spar in before you gotta go to work."

With a shrug, the blonde downed the small cup of magic water.

His eyes widened as he felt an immediate effect. The fatigue that built up over the course of the day was immediately pushed away, he felt _refreshed_. The lingering soreness was still present, but he now was on his second wind with an extra kick.

"Amazing…." He muttered, moving his body to try and get a feel for it. Another question seemed to cross his mind though. "What happens if I continue to drink more?"

"That would be a bad idea." The teacher stated. "Its 'healthy' in sense, but too much for you could have some adverse effects. Your body can only handle about a small cup right now. Event this much is pushing it a bit, I wouldn't have you drink this if you weren't going to immediately get a workout to burn the excess energy."

The youkai plucked out a strand of hair and tossed it to the side.

An outline of a figure began to shimmer into existence until a clone of the Monkey-Youkai had popped into existence.

"I need to get a little more information on your ability, so we're going to spar." She said, a small smile on her face.

"Did…..you just clone yourself?" He asked, slightly in disbelief.

"An ability I inherited from my ancestor; I can make a few copies around 10% of my power. I did say before that I'm descended from the Monkey King."

"Does it come naturally to all of your race?" He asked.

"Eh, somewhat. Its not that uncommon for us, but its also a good measure of our strength by how many we can summon. The average Monkey-Youkai can only do a couple, I can do eight at the moment. There are rumors that the mantle of King was passed down to a successor and he can summon a few dozen."

"What an interesting ability, I do seem to recall something similar in legend." He mused.

"Anyways, I got some more things I need to take care of today, so I leave you in the hands of my clone. I share senses with them so I'll be able to see what she sees. So, just spar with her until she dispels which should be in about an hour or so, giving you plenty of time before you gotta pick up the little fox"

With that, the woman made her exit, the clone just twirling its stick, looking at him menacingly.

"I do hope you'll hold back…." He squeaked out, looking at her expression. _'I don't feel any confidence even facing 10% of her power.'_

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle" She cooed.

"Oh joy, you can talk as well." He sighed. "Well, lets get this beating over with."

As carefree she is most of the time, he did trust that she wouldn't kill him with excess force.

He abruptly jumped back as the ground fractured and a crater formed at the slamming of her stick into the empty space that he was previously.

_'Or not.'_

She stared at him, like a predator to prey.

He locked eyes with her as she licked her lips.

_'Nope.' _He stepped back hesitantly, she followed by walking a step forward.

This continued for a few moments until his back was against a wall.

She smiled at him as she raised her stick and swung.

He felt something, something like an aura rolling off her.

_Death._

She looked larger before, gigantic even. Like a titan towering over him.

He grabbed his blade with both hands and held it up to intercept.

She looked noticeably annoyed as the weapons connected, she continued to swing nonchalantly, only for John to struggle to keep up.

A haphazard dodge.

A desperate block.

A failed counterattack.

"Come on, you're boring me." She growled, swinging her stick with a little more force.

"Sorry for being such a disappointment…" He grit he teeth, standing up from the most recent attack. He could tell right away that he was going to have some large burses. But something else preoccupited his mind.

_'I can do better than this.'_

It was aggravating, he _knew_. Deep down, something stirring, he was not this weak.

He was not this…_pathetic._

The pain sent a shock through is body, but it was almost completely ignored as he felt something familiar.

A voice in the back of his head.

**_'That was pathetic, you brat'_**

Memories.

A man came to the forefront of his mind.

Not too old, but certainly not young. He was battle hardened, but there was a sincerity and fondness on his face as he looked at John. He was just a boy as he stood infront of this man, a wooden sword in his hands.

**_'What have I told you about facing opponents that are stronger than yourself?'_**

A teacher?

A mentor?

No, it was something more.

**_'Don't take the blow head on. A blade is more than a sharp-metal stick, it is an extension of your body.'_**

**_'First step, take a proper stance.'_**

He stood up, locking eyes with her.

The weapon in his right hand, shifting the sword straight up infront of him. His left hand resting on its flat, about midway up blade.

It was instinctual. The position his hands were in, his shoulders squared, the distance between his feet. It was comfortable, it was _right_.

She reared back her hand.

**_'Watch their body movements, take advantage of openings.'_**

He took a step into her wide attack, mitigating a large portion of the force of the swing.

**_'Deflect, don't block.'_**

Shifting the blade to the side, he guided it with his left hand as it connected with the stick. Even after lowering the force, he could still feel the impact as their weapons connected, he almost buckled under the pressure as he pushed forward with his right hand still on the hilt. The stick slid off the edge of his sword and to the side.

She was open.

**_'And when you strike, you put your entire soul into the swing.'_**

He felt something rising, a familiar power.

The air around him was pushed away.

Moving both hands to grip the hilt tight, he swung in the opening that was created.

He let out a shout.

A strand of hair could be seen, lazily floating to the ground, and behind where the clone once stood, the courtyard wall now had a large gouge in it.

He should have been excited or atleast startled at the sudden burst of power he felt but his mind was preoccupied.

The memory he just experienced.

The person he just saw, he couldn't even recall the man's name but he _knew_ who it was.

Not a teacher, nor a mentor.

A father.

His hand began to move towards his face without realization. Wiping away a tear that was sliding down his cheek.

_'But, why does It hurt so much?'_

* * *

After John had calmed down a bit, he eventually headed out of the training facility

Both settling his turbulent emotions and waiting to see if his teacher popped up. Since the Youkai was apparently gone for good, he decided to head out.

He would rather have a few minutes to himself before he goes pick up the little fox.

Stepping out onto the main street, there were already tons of people walking about and going on their business.

About midafternoon, he still had a bit before he had to make his way over to the school.

Though he was a bit hungry.

He did have a little bit of money; Soma had given him a portion of his pay ahead of time since he was literally walking into this place with the clothes on his back.

Letting out a sigh, he looked around. He still wasn't overly familiar with the area to know where to head to maybe find a small meal before work.

_'Best bet would probably to follow the flow of people?'_ He idly thought as he walked along the street.

It was the first time he had been truly out and about by himself.

It was…. pleasant.

The last few days had been rather hectic; he had fought a Snake-Youkai – without knowing anything about them – got a new job and a whole bunch of other nonsense. All the while, having no memories of who he was. Only some things popping up now and then.

There was such a large variety of _beings_ just going about their business. No one gave any a second look because of their race or origin.

If there was to be a good place to lose one's memories at, this would probably qualify as one of the best.

Shifting his thoughts to what recently happened, the man's face continued to pop up in his mind.

There was a knot in his heart every time that memory surface.

_Something_ happened.

Perhaps it was even worse because he couldn't remember why it hurt so much to remember him.

Was this going to keep happening?

Every bad memory and experience was he going to experience over again?

_'I suppose I can only take it one day at a time.'_

It also didn't help that his body was coming down from the energy boost that the Blessed Water gave him.

The exhaustion was setting in quickly, he just wanted to sit somewhere and rest for a bit.

As he continued to walk, something caught his attention.

A food stall with a small seating area, and it smelled amazing.

_'Takoyaki' _He thought as the information seemed to come to him.

He nodded at the cook as he sat down.

"What can I getcha?" The man asked, pointing to a nearby chalkboard with all the items listed. "If I got the ingredients I don't doin anything special."

"I don't think I've had Takoyaki before, so lets start with just the basic" John said.

"Oho, so I'm your first huh?" The man beamed.

John began to space out as the man started cooking.

His thoughts still on what happened not too long ago.

That power that burst up through him.

Was it his magical energy?

It felt so natural that he didn't even have to think on how it flowed through him and enveloped his sword in the attack he unleashed.

It was enough to pop Saru-Sensei's clone. The thought of tomorrow's training sent a shudder down his spine. He didn't know if the Youkai would be upset or excited at the prospect that he could do that.

Nor did he know which one was worse.

"Here you go, young man." The cook said, setting down a plate infront of him.

"Thank you." He replied, not taking his eyes off the food.

The man just chuckled as he went about his business.

_'So good'_ He thought, taking the first bit.

Cleaning his plate in seconds.

The cook noticed it, starting to cook another batch with a knowing smile. "Give me a moment and I'll have some more ready."

_'Perhaps I'm a stress eater?' _He mused. It's hard to feel bad on a full stomach.

Staring at the freshly cooked treat infront of him. He wasn't even close to full and he had noticed the other day that he was a heavy eater.

A few words seemed to pop into his head, causing him to smile.

_'Hunger is the enemy.'_

* * *

In an undisclosed location, the rhythmic sound of a stone sliding against the edge of a blade.

A young blonde was sitting in an empty room and he continued to use the whetstone on the long blade that rest between his hands.

It was a bit therapeutic; he could just empty his mind and focus on this simple task.

Even his sword seemed to thrum slightly. It's power would constantly pulsate around the room. One of the reasons he kept the sword sealed away when not in use. It wasn't particularly a good idea to have a beacon pointing to oneself that every supernaturally aware being in the city could notice.

The strongest holy sword in the world – Caliburn.

As was tradition with the Pendragon family, he was named after his ancestor just like his sister and father were.

He was Arthur Pendragon.

He set down the whetstone and picked up the blade. Holding it infront of his face as he inspect it.

Truthfully, he didn't need to do this kind of maintenance on the weapon. It was more so out of habit and respect for the weapon he was wielding.

It was powerful.

It would never rust or dull, even its form was technically malleable to the wielder.

When it recognized it's next owner, it would shift according to their innate preference.

Arthur fancied a larger blade and thus the weapon took this shape in this generation.

He carefully placed it against the wall as he got up to get himself a drink.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee filled the room.

It was his vice.

Back when he was under the thumb of the Pendragon family, he was forced into their regime. Be it training or just lifestyle.

Caffeine was not acceptable.

The family had cooks to make sure every meal was the epitome of health and gave the trainees everything they needed to complement their rigorous routines.

To a slightly lesser extent, he also enjoyed a nice cup of tea.

Yet, he never even had such at the family estate.

What kind of English family doesn't drink tea?

Blasphemous.

He preferred Coffee, but he was still an Englishman at heart.

His tranquil expression was suddenly interrupted as his eyes darted to the sword he left in the corner.

It began to vibrate, its power fluctuating like it was calling out to something.

The room began to fill with light.

Arthur quickly dropped what was in his hands and moved towards the raging sword.

Or so he thought it was raging.

As he grabbed it and tried to contain its power, he felt something else being expressed from the holy weapon.

While it wasn't alive in the normal sense, all weapon that reached such a level have some kind of _soul_.

He could feel what the sword was trying to relay.

It was practically singing in joy.

The sensation only lasted a few moments before it abruptly stopped. The sword returned to its normal dormant state as the light in the room began to recede.

"How strange" He muttered, continuing to inspect the weapon.

His concentration was broken away at a knock on his door.

He dismissed the weapon back into the 'space' that held it on his person.

Opening the door, a small smile rose on his face as he saw his sister greeting him.

"Hello Le Fay." He greeted. "Is that a new hat?"

His sister, having been named after the witch herself, Morgan Le Fay.

"You like it?" she asked, practically beaming with joy. "My other one barely went with any outfits."

"It looks very nice." He stated. It was quite cute actually. It was a stereotypical witch hate, but it looked lovely on his little sister.

She just smiled widely, glancing around him, peering into his room. "Whatcha doing? I felt a bunch of holy energy burst out."

"I was just training and forgot where I was for a moment."

"Hmmm, your hiding something." She said, poking him lightly in the chest. "Spill it."

"Just had a little accident while training, nothing to be worried about."

She eyed him for a moment before shrugging. "Georg asked me to come get you, he called a meeting."

The older brother sighed. "I don't suppose it's voluntary?"

"He didn't say…but it looked like he put a lot of effort into it and I don't want him to get upset." She replied.

Arthur adjusted his glasses. "I guess I have nothing better to do right now, I don't suppose he mentioned what the meetings about?"

"I took a peek at the folders he was setting out, but it didn't really explain much."

"Let me guess, a big _Top Secret_ stamped across the front with a secret code phrase under it?" He asked, slightly amused.

The hero faction they called themselves. Descendants or reincarnations of past heroes.

A secret faction that was operating in the shadows under the flag of the Khaos Brigade, another secret organization.

Their resident Magician expert, Georg Faust, liked to take the whole clandestine shadowy organization thing a bit too seriously sometimes. He got really into the role when their leader – Cao Cao – put him in charge.

Everyone just let him have his fun.

Well, for the most part.

Hercules was an arrogant ass, not to the kid specifically, but it was just his default attitude.

Jeanne had as much fun with it as Georg did, Siegfried was indifferent, and Cao Cao played along for the most part.

Georg was one of the younger members, it was fine to let him play around outside of actual combat.

The younger girl giggled a bit before answering. "I think he called it _Operation: Dragon Gate_, this time."

"That doesn't sound ominous at all." The older brother snorted. "Didn't we have a mission planned in a few days already, whats with the sudden change?"

"It was canceled, something about fairies, I don't know." She shrugged. "I wasn't really paying attention."

It didn't really matter much to Arthur. While he was loyal to Cao Cao, but it wasn't a blind loyalty. He was grateful for his help in helping get away from the Pendragon family, for both him and his sister. He would work hard to repay the debt to the man.

"I suppose we should head over, no point is getting the kid upset."

* * *

**Author's Note.**

**Well, first off; i'm alive. **

**It's been awhile and i'm not quite happy about that, so i'm going to rant for a moment before i talk about this latest chapter. **

**I've had work issues. A higher up in my office decided on some asinine changes that makes it so i've had overtime nearly every day for a month and even had to work weekends. Extremely unhappy with my current job and am even looking around at the moment.**

**Anyways, just needed to rant lets get on with the chapter. **

**The chapter was pretty straightforward. Some small changes having a ripple effect. Some more memories awakening, John learning how to fight - kinda. And just some all around character and world building. **

**The plot has started, as i mentioned above, small changes having a ripple effect. John being present = fairies active = far reaching consequences. I left it a bit vague on purpose in regards to the Hero faction. I felt like they were probably doing alot of things in the shadows before they finally made their appearance in canon. So, the ripples causing them to shift their plans around and hit Kyoto earlier than anticipated. **

**But yeah, chapter seemed straight forward to me. Maybe i'm just seeing it from the perspective of knowing what going to happens. So, if you have any thoughts or concerns, feel free to leave a comment as i do read them all. **


End file.
